A preliminary appraisal of diaphanography in diseases of the breast.

Transillumination of the breast is a noninvasive procedure that is being tested as an imaging technique for evaluation of breast disease, differentiating benign from malignant lesions, and as a possible screening modality. The average normal breast when transilluminated in a darkened room has a reddish-yellow color that is reproduced with remarkable fidelity on infrared film. Differences of color, shading, and blood vessel caliber are criteria for the recognition of various breast lesions. The diaphanographic findings in approximately 200 women have been compared with the interpretations based upon mammography and thermography. To date the level of accuracy reported by some investigators (Di Maggio et al, Italy; Ohlsson et al, Sweden; Wallberg and Alveryd, Sweden) has not been achieved in our series of histologically proved malignant and benign lesions. Diaphanography can be useful as a complementary technique in examination of the breast, but its potential as a single screening test appears limited.