Mammography before and after bariatric surgery

Abstract Background Morbidly obese women are at increased risk for breast cancer, and the majority of surgical weight-loss patients are older than 40 years old. Objective The purpose of the present study was to determine the technical and interpretive changes in mammography following bariatric surgery. Setting Accredited Academic Hospital. Methods Two breast-imaging radiologists reviewed screening mammograms performed on 10 morbidly obese women undergoing bariatric surgery both pre- and postoperatively. American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR BI-RADS) density, imaging quality measurements, compression force, breast thickness, pectoral nipple line (PNL) length, and x-ray beam kilovoltage (kVp) and miliamperes per second (mAs) were recorded. Results The average patient age was 56 years old, with mean age at menarche of 13 years old; 70% of patients were postmenopausal (average age 49 years at menopause) and 50% had a family history of breast cancer. There was a significant reduction in both BMI (-13.2 kg/m2 , P