Are there different types of mammograms or does everyone do digital now?

Different types: There are 2 main types of mammograms: analog/film or digital. Digital is currently the standard but unfortunately there are still many facilities that use analog. I encourage patients to find a location that performs digital. This is imperative if you are young or have dense breasts. There is a newer tomosynthesis/3-d mammogram but has limited availability.

There are: Mammograms are analog and digital. Analog is the older way by processing films. Digital is the newer way in which the processing is done digitally by computers. Many mammography facilities have converted to digital. There are however, still some which offer the analog mammograms. Either way it is best for womwen to follow american cancer society's recommendation for yearly screening after age 40.

Mammograms: Although some facilities still perform analog film/screen mammography, the emerging standard of care is digital mammography. It is likely that before too much longer analog mammography will be a thing of the past. A newer technique, called breast tomosynthesis, is also emerging out of digital mammography, and may be of some benefit for women with dense breasts.