TITLE:
Effects of mammography positioning on the autonomic nervous function
AUTHORS:
Mieko Uchiyama, Yongbum Lee, Mieko Sadakata, Du-Yih Tsai, Mitsuko Sayama
KEYWORDS:
Mammography; Physical and Psychological Burden; Autonomic Nervous Function
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.8,
August
7,
2013
ABSTRACT: The physical and psychological burden on patients
during mammography was analyzed using the autonomic function index in 34 adult
females. The indices included heart rate (HR), high frequency (HF) of the R-R
interval on an electrocardiogram, and the ratio of HF to LF (low frequency)
(LF/HF). HR is an indicator of the degree of mental and physical activity, HF
indicates the parasympathetic index and LF/HF indicates the sympathetic index.
For the mediolateral oblique (MLO) view in mammography, autonomic function
indices were measured before and during mammography. Statistical analysis was
performed by the Mann-Whitney U test and the significance level was set at
5%. The autonomic function indices were compared before and during
mammography and all showed no significant differences. The average value before
imaging and the reference value at rest were compared. The results showed that
HR increased 1.3-fold, HF increased 0.4-fold, and LF/HF increased 3.2-fold over reference values. Chronological changes during mammography showed that HF increased and LF/HF decreased from 120 seconds
after the start of imaging. From these observations, it is evident that the
state before mammography is not the same as the resting state and that the
sympathetic index is dominant before imaging. They also suggest that some aspects
of the psychological burden experienced during mammography are not due to the
pain of breast compression alone.