Diagnostic Imaging
April 2004

OVERREAD

Women keep calm without results

Popular opinion has it that delays in mammography results produce anxiety, but a study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found otherwise.

Dr. Janet Baum, director of breast imaging at Beth Israel, and colleagues randomly divided 150 women undergoing mammography into three groups: One group listened to a relaxation audiotape before and during the exam, another group listened to jazz, soft rock, or classical music, and a control group was given a blank tape.

The women recorded their baseline anxiety levels on questionnaires. At the conclusion of their exams, they were told they'd have to wait for results, and they again filled out anxiety surveys.

None of the women, including the controls, reported high levels of anxiety prior to or after the mammogram, even when they were told they would not receive their results immediately, Baum said at the 2003 RSNA meeting.

Relaxation and music tapes did not decrease the women's anxiety, and delayed results did not increase anxiety.