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Mammography could soon become painless, if a new device and protocols developed by researchers are adopted.

Breasts are compressed during mammography to enhance image quality and reduce radiation exposure. However the discomfort associated is deterrence for many women to undergo the procedure. Researchers have shown that standardizing pressure applied on breasts, can help reduce discomfort without sacrificing image quality, Zee News reported.

"Standardizing the applied pressure would reduce both over- and under-compression and lead to a more reproducible imaging procedure with less pain. Essentially, what is needed is the measurement of the contact area with the breast, which then is combined with the measured applied force to determine the average pressure in the breast. A relatively small upgrade of the compression paddle is sufficient," said Woutjan Branderhorst at Amsterdam's Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics at the Academic Medical Center, in a press release.

Researchers also pointed out that compression results in measurement variation across the world, when adjusted for breast size, skin tautness, composition and pain tolerance. Adopting a pressure protocol could result in standardization.

"This means that the breast may be almost not compressed at all, which increases the risks of image quality degradation and extra radiation dose," Branderhorst said.

To test their hypothesis, researchers conducted a study involving 433 women. Out of four mammography attempts, researchers applied a force of 10 dekanewtons in three attempts and a pressure of 10 kilopascals in the fourth attempt. The participants were then asked to rate comfort during the attempts.

The participants reported less discomfort during the 10kpa attempt.

The study is significant given the large number of mammography examinations performed every year. In the US alone, 39 million examinations are performed every year, with every examination involving exposure four times to radiation. Researchers said standardization of pressure not only reduces discomfort but also helps optimize radiation dose.

The findings of the study are being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.