New technology at UK allows for more comprehensive breast imagery, especially for women with much dense or fatty tissue

Technology that will enable radiologists to see individual breast structures without overlapping tissues obstructing their view will begin being used at the breast care center at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center. It will be the only center in the state to use the 3-D technology known as tomosynthesis.

"In addition to providing the traditional top and side images of the breasts taken during a regular mammogram, tomosynthesis also allows the technician to take multiple X-ray pictures of each breast from many angles," a UK press release said. "A computer than combines all this information into one 3-D image."

The technology is expected to be especially useful for women who have dense or fatty breast tissue. More than 50 percent of women under the age of 50 have dense tissue and more than 30 percent of women over 50 have dense tissue. (Read more)