Can breast surgeons read mammograms of symptomatic patients in the one-stop breast clinic?
OBJECTIVE
To establish how accurate surgeons were when compared to the radiologists in interpreting symptomatic mammograms in one-stop clinics.


METHODS
The surgeons were asked to write their opinion on the mammograms which was compared with the radiologists' report. 144 patients were involved in the study and the data were analysed by McNemara's test for paired categorical data.


CONCLUSIONS
Surgeons were accurate in interpreting most of the mammographic findings. However, they underestimated the presence of benign calcification which was statistically significant. Surgeons can, therefore, be involved in double reading of mammograms in symptomatic breast disease patients and improve the sensitivity which has been the case in double reading by radiologists in the breast screening programme.
Rao
M C
MC
Department of Surgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Griffith
C D
CD
Griffiths
A B
AB
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D015588:Observer Variation; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011871:Radiology / Q000458:organization & administration