ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the ability of thermoacoustic computed tomography (TCT) to visualize normal breast architecture and to begin to understand the TCT appearance of a range of common benign and cancerous disease. All TCT images were evaluated retrospectively with full knowledge of the mammographic, ultrasound, and biopsy and surgical results when available. The improvement in TCT image quality with decreasing age is probably associated with a greater preponderance of denser breast tissue in a younger population. Image quality aside, patients tolerated the TCT study well and preferred TCT to x-ray mammography by a ratio of 4:1. Most cysts seen on ultrasound are quite well visualized. Fibroadenomas were not visualized except in the case of a fibroadenoma associated with atypical hyperplasia. However, only four of seven cancers were visualized. The chapter explains the lack of visualization of these three cancers to inadequate image quality, technical factors, such as motion, and an inadequate field of view for the TCT scan.
