Importance of Timing of CEM Related to Menstrual Period

Background: Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) is a recently introduced method of further evaluating the breasts for presence of malignancy, especially dense breast tissue. Evaluation for worrisome breast abnormalities can be complicated by the variable amount of background contrast enhancement of normal breast tissue. Objective: To determine what clinical factors affect the background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) of breast tissue on CEM. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: Medical records of patients who underwent CEM between April 2020 and September 2021 were reviewed. Before CEM examinations, patients was asked to answer specific questions. The topics of questions included family history of breast cancer, history of prior breast surgery, chemotherapy or radiation for breast cancer, history of endocrine therapy, use of hormones, menstrual history, and timing within menstrual cycle of the mammogram. Two minutes post-injection, mammographic images were obtained in the craniocauda more...