Had it up to HERE with all the talk of 3D movies and 3D TVs and 3D Blu-Ray disc players till your head hurts… literally? If you're one of the 10 percent of women who ever needed a follow-up mammogram due to fibrous breast tissue, overlapping skin or other issues with clarity, you may warm up to 3D again very soon.

Last month, the FDA formally approved the first mammography system that produces 2D and 3D images, the Selenia Dimensions System from Massachusetts-based Hologic, Inc.. Perhaps, the key to its approval: Studies that showed a 7 percent improvement in the ability of doctors to discern differences between cancerous and non-cancerous tumors with 3D images, compared to 2D images, cutting down on follow-up scans.

But there's a catch. Hologic sought federal approval for a system that produced 2D and 3D images because doctors had spent their careers reading 2D images, not to mention the FDA required both sets of images be taken too. The combination of the two almost doubles a woman's exposure to radiation, also a growing worry for kids, particularly athletes who seem to be X-rayed or scanned every other day for assorted bumps, bruises and breaks.

And, that extra exposure increases a woman's cancer risks, albeit incrementally, to 1.5 percent, compared to less than 1 percent for 2D images.

Only time and performance will tell us if 3D mammogram will be worth the extra risk. Now, if the medical professional can just get on the same page about how often women should be getting mammograms…

Image source: Medgadget.com

The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) February 14, 2011

Medscape February 14, 2011 Free Subscription Required

Boston Globe February 12, 2011

FDA.gov February 11, 2011

Los Angeles Times February 11, 2011