 SonoCiné Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound
A Screening for Women with Dense Breasts
For women with dense breasts, SonoCiné is the latest technology in Automated Whole-Breast Ultrasound (AWBUS). SonoCiné is a supplementary ultrasound examination of both breasts that can find small cancers that mammography may miss. It is not a replacement for screening mammography. However, mammography is not a perfect examination for women with dense breasts. SonoCiné can increase confidence in your diagnosis. The Breast Center is the first in the state to offer this new screening to women with dense breasts.
Studies show that an ultrasound examination in conjunction with a mammogram, can find more cancers in women with dense breasts than by mammography alone. Our goal is to find cancers when they are small.
Research Shows
- More than 40% of all women have dense-breast tissue.
- Early detection can increase breast cancer survival.
- Finding cancers when they are small saves lives.
- Automated Whole-Breast Ultrasound, in addition to mammography, may find twice as many cancers in women with dense breasts as can be found by mammography alone.
- If your mammogram shows you have dense breasts, you may want to consider an Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound examination in addition to your mammogram.
Ask your technologist if you have dense breasts.
  < Fatty Breasts Spotting tiny cancers in the mammogram of a fatty breast is easier because cancer shows up white on dark fatty-breast tissue.
> Dense Breasts Cancers are harder to find in the mammogram of a dense breast because both cancer and dense breast tissue show up white.
Ultrasound
With ultrasound, cancers appear dark against the white background of dense-breast tissue, making the cancer more visible.
What to Expect
- Requires no breast compression, no radiation, and no injections
- Is painless
- Takes about 20-30 minutes
- Is permanently recorded for your physician's review and follow-up.
- Will be interpreted by one of our breast imagers and a report is sent to your referring provider in a couple of days following your examination.
Is SonoCiné covered by insurance?
SonoCiné is cleared by the FDA as an additional examination in conjunction with screening mammography. Because it is considered supplementary, most insurance companies currently do not cover the cost of this examination.
At your next mammography appointment, ask your technologist if you have dense-breast tissue and if this examination may be right for you.
How to Make an Appointment
To make an appointment for SonoCiné, call (479) 442-6266. You do not need a physician's referral. However if you have a HAS (Health Savings Account) you will want to get a physician's order so you can pay for the examination with your HAS Debit card.
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