At a glance
- Technology3D detail + time-based 4th dimension
- RadiationNone
- PositionFace down — no compression
- UseHigh-risk screening & diagnostic follow-up
4D Breast MRI — four-dimensional breast magnetic resonance imaging — is part of RMI’s four-pronged approach to fighting breast cancer. Introducing it to the Great Lakes community extended our tradition of leadership as an accredited Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and as the first practice in Michigan approved by the Mammogram Medicare Screening program.
What “4D” means
4D Breast MRI supplements detailed three-dimensional MRI data with a fourth dimension based on time and motion — an enhanced view of the real-time functioning of breast tissue and any suspected lesions. That extra information gives physicians a better chance of finding breast cancer early, and may reveal tumors other imaging techniques miss.
When it’s recommended
4D Breast MRI may be recommended as a follow-up diagnostic exam after a suspicious mammogram, or — for women at high risk of breast cancer or with dense breast tissue — as an additional screening exam alongside an annual mammogram.
Designed for comfort
You’ll lie face down on a padded exam table with no compression of the breasts — a position that also significantly reduces claustrophobia. The scan uses no radiation, and the gadolinium contrast is given in very small quantities.