Biomagnetic activity in the female breast at various physiological states.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the biomagnetic activity produced physiologically by the various normally occurring states of the female breast: puberty, reproductive age, pregnancy, lactation and menopause.


METHODS
The mammary glands of 90 healthy women were examined using a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID).


RESULTS
Biomagnetic activity was low at puberty (105.46+/-3.77 fT/square root(Hz)) and the menopause (111.66+/-25.06 fT/square root(Hz)), but was high during the reproductive years (142.13+/-20.70 fT/square root(Hz)), particularly in the hyperplastic states of late pregnancy (221.86+/-12.14 fT/square root(Hz)) and lactation (252.73+/-54.77 fT/square root(Hz)). The results were statistically significant (p<0.0001 ANOVA test).


CONCLUSIONS
Our observations indicate the importance of SQUID in understanding the biomagnetic activity of the female breast at the various physiological states of life.
Sivridis
E
E
Department of Pathology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Anninos
P
P
Giatromanolaki
A
A
Kotini
A
A
Adamopoulos
A
A
Anastasiadis
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008280:Magnetics; D008875:Middle Aged