Experts tell us it is wise to get a yearly mammogram but many women fear the pressure and pain of breast compression. Shouldn't there be a less painful and more accurate way to see breast abnormalities? CTLM, an exciting new way of looking at breast abnormalities, may be the answer. CTLM stands for Computed Tomography Laser Mammography and is a method of looking at the blood flow to the breast. Since newly forming tumors have increased blood flow, CTLM may be the answer to finding very small tumors which can be hidden in routine mammography. In addition, dense breast tissue is easily penetrated with the laser. Conversely X-ray Mammography has difficulty with dense breasts.

How is CTLM performed?

The patient lies comfortably on her stomach with one breast suspended in an opening in the scanning bed. Each breast is scanned separately. A laser beam sweeps 360 degrees around the breast while the data acquired is processed as a 3D image visable on the computer monitor. The patient lies motionless and feels nothing during the examination. The scan takes approximately 15 minutes per breast. The laser "sees" the blood supply to the breast and will show early forming tumors in the breast as well as normal blood vessels.

Additionally, since there is no radiation, high-risk or patients with abnormalities could be imaged more often to decrease the patient's anxiety and increase the doctor's chance of early detection of breast cancer.