Ultrasonic mammographic parenchymal patterns: a preliminary report.

Ultrasound has been suggested as a lower risk alternative to mammography for detecting breast abnormalities. Mammograms and ultrasonograms of 32 women patients were compared, revealing three distinct ultrasonic parenchymal patterns which corresponded to previously reported mammographic patterns: fatty (N1), ductal (P1 or P2), and dysplastic (DY). These constitute a new system of parenchymal classification, to our knowledge.