Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI)
An MBI guide
Patients sometimes ask, “What is an MBI?” As the only center of its kind in Northern Indiana, the Paqui and Brian Kelly Comprehensive Breast Center offers molecular breast imaging (MBI) — an addition to a screening mammogram that is important for women with especially dense breast tissue or for women who have a high risk of cancer.
Why is MBI sometimes needed in addition to a mammogram?
During a screening mammogram, dense breast tissue and tumors both look similar. This fact makes it much more difficult for mammograms to detect tumors within dense breast tissue than within non-dense breasts.
Molecular breast imaging shows breast tissue differently than tumors. In MBI exams, tumors show up brightly while normal dense breast tissue remains dark in the background. Molecular breast imaging can detect small breast tumors (less than 1 cm) that might be missed by screening mammography or physical exams alone. For patients with dense breast tissue, the results of an MBI exam combined with a mammography exam can overcome some of the limitations of mammography alone.
How does MBI work?
Molecular breast imaging is performed on a scanner that looks similar to a mammography machine, except the MBI scanner does not emit any X-rays. A small amount of radioactive tracer is injected in your arm about five minutes before imaging. The radioactive tracer is absorbed into metabolically active tumor cells, if you have them, in much higher quantities than it is absorbed into normal breast tissue.
Is MBI safe?
The tracer used during your molecular breast imaging is naturally eliminated from your body through urine within 48 hours. Because Saint Joseph Health System’s MBI scanner uses advanced technology, the radiation risk from an MBI procedure is comparable to that of a digital screening mammography.
Can MBI be used for other reasons?
In addition to dense breast tissue, your physician may order MBI if you meet any of the following criteria:
- You have abnormal findings after a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound.
- You are at high risk for malignancy or for the evaluation of a suspected recurrence.
- You have breast implants.
- You need to have an MRI but you have an implant such as a pacemaker.
- You have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
- You were recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
- You need an assessment to your response to chemotherapy.
To schedule a mammogram at the Paqui and Brian Kelly CBC, call 574.797.9185 or schedule online.