Coming in for a breast ultrasound is simple, safe, and painless. Here at the Sono Center, we use breast ultrasound as a complementary tool for women at high risk of breast cancer or women who have dense breasts. Our computer-guided system — The SonoCine Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (SonoCine AWBUS) – can provide greater visual detail of the breast tissue, especially helpful for women with dense breast tissue or implants.

It’s FDA-cleared for all dense-breasted women, providing whole breast coverage, including the underarm, clavicle, in between the breasts, the sides of the breasts, and all the way back to the chest wall. That means this innovative technology can detect small cancers even before mammography can.

You may wonder what to expect with a breast ultrasound. We are here to answer all your questions.

Getting Started

The first step is to book an appointment online with us. You can also take a moment to browse our website to learn about insurance and pricing. Insurance coverage will depend on your insurance provider and coverage level, but many won’t cover the full cost of the exam. We currently do not accept insurance, but will help you file a claim with your insurance provider to get reimbursed. The cost of a SonoCine scan is $450.

During the Exam

A trained Sono Center ultrasound tech will guide you through the process and perform the exam. Plan to be in the exam room for about a half hour. While the exam itself is fast, there is some preparation time as well as time at the end of the exam to remove the camisole and ultrasound gel.

You will visit our office at 960 E Green Street. #166, Pasadena CA for the exam.

The SonoCine breast ultrasound is painless and stress-free. It’s similar to other ultrasounds you may have had. However, for this procedure, you will wear a special camisole, and a transducer, connected to an automated arm, will gently move across the surface of your breasts. The device will emit painless sound waves that “bounce off” your breast tissue to make images. Those images will be recorded and compressed into a movie of sorts that a radiologist, not a technologist, will read.

While you may feel a light pressure when the transducer is passed over your breasts, it’s a virtually pain-free procedure. With SonoCine, there are no injections, no radiation is used, there is no compression like with a mammogram, and it’s safe because only simple sound waves are used.

You may wonder how the SonoCine system is better than handheld scanning techniques. Well, this system overcomes inconsistencies that can result from handheld scanning, which makes it difficult to recognize subtle findings of cancer. SonoCine technology robotically scans the whole breast, including the underarms, while recording 3,000 images.

After the Exam

Your results will be shared electronically with your primary care provider, and will be saved as part of an ongoing record of your breast health. It will be up to you to follow up with your primary care provider to get further recommendations.

Considering SonoCine?

SonoCine Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (AWBUS) is an advanced imaging technology that offers many benefits in the early detection of breast cancer. As you can assume, early detection is vital when effectively managing breast cancer due to the timely intervention and increased chance of successful treatment. There are many benefits associated with this technology.

  • It uses no radiation: While mammography uses X-rays, AWBUS does not, which eliminates the potential risk associated with repeated exposure to radiation. Instead, AWBUS uses ultrasound waves to create detailed breast tissue images, which is a safer imaging option that can be repeated as many times as needed, giving women peace of mind due to the lack of radiation-related concerns.
  • It has an increased sensitivity: AWBUS is highly sensitive to breast abnormalities and can detect small lesions that traditional mammograms may not show. As a result, AWBUS can identify potential cancerous lesions earlier when they are smaller and more easily treatable.
  • It offers enhanced image clarity: AWBUS offers high-resolution images of the whole breast and surrounding areas so radiologists can more accurately detect and analyze any abnormalities. The automated scanning process ensures consistent image quality while reducing the chance for human error during the exam.
  • It leads to improved detection: Dense breast tissue makes it harder to spot abnormalities using just a mammogram exam. SonoCine AWBUS is not hampered by breast density challenges. Radiologists can get a clear view of the breast tissue, which makes it easier to identify potential cancers that would otherwise be obscured by dense breast tissue on mammograms.
  • It’s more comfortable: This non-invasive imaging technique is much more comfortable than mammograms, which compresses the breasts and can be quite painful.

Book Your Breast Ultrasound at the Sono Center Today

To get started, we welcome you to book your appointment for a SonoCine AWBUS online or you can call us at (626) 381-9430. You will find our radiology facility at 960 E Green St #166 in Pasadena, CA.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.