TheoryMammography ARRT Practice Questions
Free Mammography ARRT practice questions with answers and plain-English explanations. Browse the PDF, video and online mock test.
Mammography ARRT Questions
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Q1The upper outer quadrant (UOQ) of the breast contains the greatest volume of glandular tissue. Approximately what percentage of breast cancers originate in this quadrant?
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✓ Correct answer: 50%
About 50% of breast cancers arise in the upper outer quadrant because it contains the largest amount of glandular tissue of any single quadrant, including the axillary tail of Spence.
Q2The axillary tail of Spence is an extension of breast tissue that projects toward which anatomical region?
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✓ Correct answer: Axilla
The axillary tail (tail of Spence) is a projection of glandular tissue that extends from the upper outer quadrant toward the axilla, passing through an opening in the deep fascia known as the foramen of Langer.
Q3The sebaceous glands located on the areola that enlarge during pregnancy and lactation are called:
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✓ Correct answer: Montgomery glands
Montgomery glands (tubercles of Montgomery) are modified sebaceous glands on the areola; they secrete an oily substance that lubricates and protects the nipple-areola complex, and they become more prominent during pregnancy and lactation.
Q4On a mammogram, a normal nipple typically appears as a:
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✓ Correct answer: Dome-shaped soft-tissue density at the skin surface
The nipple is imaged as a rounded or dome-shaped soft-tissue density at the anterior skin surface of the breast; it must be in profile on at least one view to avoid being mistaken for a mass or to prevent missing a retraction.
Q5Smooth muscle fibers within the nipple are responsible for nipple erection. These fibers are oriented in which arrangement?
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✓ Correct answer: Both circular and longitudinal
The nipple contains smooth muscle fibers arranged in both circular (sphincter-like) and longitudinal orientations, enabling erection in response to tactile, thermal, and hormonal stimuli and facilitating milk ejection during lactation.
Q6Normal breast skin thickness on a mammogram is generally less than:
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✓ Correct answer: 3 mm
Normal breast skin measures less than 3 mm in thickness on mammography. Skin thickening greater than 3 mm can be a sign of edema, inflammatory carcinoma, lymphatic obstruction, or radiation change.
Q7Cooper's ligaments (suspensory ligaments of the breast) function primarily to:
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✓ Correct answer: Support breast tissue by connecting glandular tissue to the overlying skin and deep fascia
Cooper's ligaments are fibrous suspensory bands that attach the breast parenchyma to the overlying dermis and to the deep fascia, providing structural support and giving the breast its shape. Invasion by carcinoma causes skin dimpling (peau d'orange).
Q8On a mammogram, Cooper's ligaments are visualized as:
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✓ Correct answer: Thin curvilinear lines within the subcutaneous fat
Cooper's ligaments appear as thin, curvilinear, or tent-shaped lines within the subcutaneous and retroglandular fat on mammography. They become more apparent when the fat content of the breast is high.
Q9Breast edema caused by lymphatic obstruction produces skin thickening and a reticular trabecular pattern on mammography primarily because:
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✓ Correct answer: Fluid accumulates within and around Cooper's ligaments and periductal stroma, thickening them
When lymphatic drainage is obstructed (by tumor, radiation, or infection), interstitial fluid accumulates in the periductal and periligamentous spaces, thickening Cooper's ligaments and the skin and creating the characteristic trabecular or reticular pattern seen on mammography.
Q10The retromammary space (retromammary bursa) lies between which two structures?
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✓ Correct answer: Posterior surface of the breast and the pectoralis major fascia
The retromammary space is a layer of loose areolar tissue and fat lying between the deep (posterior) surface of the breast and the pectoralis major fascia, allowing some mobility of the breast on the chest wall.
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