Mammography is the study of the breasts using radiography. The purpose of this radiographic technique is to visualize breast tissue and highlight abnormalities. It is one of the essential tests to detect early stages of breast cancer and other diseases related to the breasts. Mammography images can help the doctors to find even very small tumors and defects before they become a problem for the patient.
An x-ray machine produces a small burst of x-rays that pass through the breast to a detector located on the opposite side. The detector can be either a photographic film plate, which captures the x-ray image on film, or a solid-state detector, which transmits electronic signals to a computer to form a digital image.
