In order to rapidly assess breast density and to include patients who have undergone mastectomy, assessment of a single breast in one projection (preferably the CC projection) is sufficient [15].
Limitations of visual and area-based methods of assessing breast density, such as subjectivity, variations in density with breast compression and X-ray exposure and the time involved in visual assessment of mammograms have led to interest in automated, volumetric methods of breast density.
4 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is not recommended as a routine preoperative assessment of patients with invasive breast cancer or DCIS but can help when a discrepancy exists between the clinical and radiological assessment, when breast density prevents mammographic assessment, or when breast conservation surgery to assess tumour size is being considered in lobular cancer.
Indeed, the heterogeneity of mammograms due to the use of multiple mammographers, the inclusion of both digital and analog images and differences in methodology, such as the subjective visual assessment of breast density and the use of semiquantitative assessments, limit the comparability of our results with other studies.
In this study, reliability of visual assessment of breast density for both experienced and inexperienced readers was evaluated, as compared to the semi-automated assessment of breast density using a dedicated software program.
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the accuracy of visual assessment of breast density (on standard digital mammograms) for both experienced and inexperienced readers as compared to the semi-automated assessment of breast density using a dedicated software program.
Furthermore, the semi-automated assessment of breast density showed good intra- and interobserver reproducibility.
Visual assessment of breast density on mammograms is inaccurate and observer-dependent.
First, a true golden standard for the assessment of breast density is lacking.
The results of our study showed that visual assessment of breast density on mammograms is inaccurate and observer-dependent.
