UKS Medical Diagnostics Limited
328 Manchester Road, West Timperley, Cheshire WA14 5NH

Telephone: + 44 (0) 161 969 4000

Facsimile: + 44 (0) 161 969 4011

Breast Screening (Mammogram or MRI)

Get a private breast screening from UKS Medical Diagnostics...

Breast screening is recommended by the NHS for women between fifty and seventy. This mostly involves having a mammogram X-ray test once every three years. However, the American Cancer Society recommends screening every year for all women over forty. Many women in the UK, seeking more peace of mind, wish to be tested more regularly and earlier in their lives and as they are aware that early detection is important.

Now at UKS we can not only offer a more regular private mammogram but make available the more sensitive MRI scan test which produces more detailed pictures and is considered to be the best screening technique.

What is a Mammogram?

A Mammogram is an X-ray of the breasts used to show details of breast tissue and to detect any abnormalities.

Before a private breast screening using a mammogram you will be asked to undress from the waist up and you will be given a gown to wear. The lady radiographer helps place one breast at a time on a small plastic plate with an X-ray plate beneath it while another flat plate presses on the breast for a few moments. Two pictures are taken, one from above and one from the side. During a mammography the breast is lightly compressed and some women can feel pain, but for most it is uncomfortable only for the short time of the test.

What is MRI of the breast?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnets and radio waves, instead of X-rays, and produces very detailed, cross-sectional images of the body offering additional, valuable information about many breast conditions that cannot be obtained by mammography or ultrasound alone. MRI is particularly recommended for women with very dense breasts.

Just as a mammography uses X-ray machines especially designed to screen breasts, MRI for the breast also requires special equipment. Dedicated breast MRI equipment produces images of higher quality that those used for head, chest, or abdominal scanning.

For a private MRI breast scan you will be asked to lie still on a bed which will slide into the scanner in a similar way as a conveyor belt. To increase the quality of the images a contrast material (gadolinium DTPA) could be injected into a small vein in the arm before or during the exam. Although nothing can be felt during the scan some might feel uncomfortable because of the banging noise the scanner makes whilst in operation or some find it claustrophobic to lie in the tunnel. Please let the medical staff know if this could cause a problem.

It is important not to wear jewellery or other metallic objects and to inform medical staff about any metal grafts, IUD, hearing aids or pacemakers. The procedure, which can take between 30 and 45 minutes, does not expose you to any radiation and is usually performed as an outpatient procedure.

Private breast screening - What to do next?

If you are concerned and wish to have a private breast screening test, even if you are under fifty and so not eligible for an NHS screening mammogram, talk to your doctor or call UKS Medical Diagnostics on 0161 969 4000 or contact us online by completing our short enquiry form found here.

Media procedures will be arranged at a convenient local site to meet your needs.