Breast Imaging; the early years

In 1913, Albert Salomon, a surgeon, described differences between benign and malignant findings in mastectomy specimens.

In 1949, Raul Leborgne, pioneered mammography by calling attention to patient's positioning, image quality, and the differences between benign and malignant calcifications.

In 1962, Robert Egan reported the first 53 cases of occult breast cancer detected at 2,000 mammograms.  He used films developed by Kodak, that allowed high MA and Kvp technique thus minimising the dose delivered to the breast.  He is considered the father of mammography due to his pioneering work at MD Anderson and Emory University. 

In 1965, Charles Gross, developed the first unit dedicated to mammography. It provided high differential contrast between the breast parenchyma, fat and microcalcifications. The unit came with a compression device that further improved the quality of imaging. 

As younger women get breast cancer the United States Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommendations last week and suggested that women make an individual choice at starting screening mammography at the age 40. 

This post is dedicated to my Chairman the late Vlastimil Chapek who introduced and taught me mammography at the University of Illinois in the early 70s and two young radiologists whom I met when I returned to Greece after 40 years; 

Stamatis Merkouris and Fotis Constandinidis.  They were eager to learn things I thought them and I learned from them too.  Stamatis is now the head of breast imaging at Metropolital General Hospital in Athens and Fotis practices breast imaging at the New Victoria Hospital in Glasgow UK