- With Mayo Clinic internist
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
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Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, certified by the American Board of Family Practice, has been practicing medicine at Mayo Clinic since 1995 with special interests in breast diseases and women's health.
Dr. Pruthi is a consultant in the Department of Medicine, the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Breast Diagnostic Clinic. She is an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native is enthusiastic about promoting education and patient-related research and has been active in both areas since joining Mayo Clinic. Dr. Pruthi is the primary investigator at Mayo Clinic of a clinical trial evaluating new agents for the prevention of breast cancer and has research interests in the identification of biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer.
Her other research and clinical interests include managing the health of women who are at increased risk of breast cancer, breast pain and hot flashes, and developing patient education decision-making tools for breast-related concerns.
She is past director of the Breast Diagnostic Clinic and has been a member of the Women's Health Executive Committee. Dr. Pruthi has been newly elected as a secretary of the executive committee for the American Society of Breast Disease. She has assisted with a variety of website content.
"Having an opportunity to share information and empower my patients in the way that will help them to understand and be able to make educated decisions about their own health is very important to me," Dr. Pruthi says.
"The Internet is a tremendous resource and information site for people, and I want them to get up-to-date and accurate information to be able to make informed choices for themselves, their family members and friends."
Cancer (4)
- Mammogram: Can it find cancer in dense breasts?
- Breast implants: Do they interfere with mammograms?
- Mammogram guidelines: What are they?
- see all in Cancer
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Question
Breast implants: Do they interfere with mammograms?
Can breast implants make it harder to find breast cancer during mammography?
Answer
from Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Yes. Breast implants can obscure mammogram images, decreasing the ability of mammograms to reveal breast cancer. Still, studies show that mammograms are an effective way to screen for breast cancer in women with breast implants.
If you have breast implants, you can take steps to make your mammogram more successful, such as:
- Find a facility that sees many women with breast implants. Ask your doctor for a referral to a clinic where radiologists have experience performing and reading mammograms of women with breast implants. Ask about the clinic staff's experience when you make your appointment. You'll want to know that the clinic obtains special mammogram views in addition to the standard mammogram images to better evaluate the breast tissue.
- Speak up about your breast implants at your appointment. When you make your appointment and again when you arrive at your appointment, tell the staff that you have breast implants.
There's a slight risk that your breast implants may rupture during a mammogram. But the benefits of mammography in the early detection of breast cancer outweigh this risk.
Next questionMammogram guidelines: What are they?
- Goodemote P, et al. What is the best way to screen for breast cancer in women with implants? The Journal of Family Practice. 2008;57:482.
- Mammograms. WomensHealth.gov. http://www.womenshealth.gov/FAQ/mammograms.cfm. Accessed Aug. 8, 2011.
- Mammography. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForWomen/ucm118546.htm. Accessed Aug. 8, 2011.
- Mammography. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp076.cfm. Accessed Aug. 8, 2011.
- Pruthi S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 10, 2011.
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