TATTOO PIGMENT

• Can mimic calcifications
• Most tattoo pigments are created by mixing various metallic ions and visibility on mammogram is dependent on composition
• Core biopsy samples may be dark or black
• Gold therapy was previous used for treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and has a similar mammographic appearance
• Benign (BI-RADS 2)

Related Radiology Article: Honegger MM, Hesseltine SM, Gross JD, Singer C, Cohen JM. Tattoo pigment mimicking axillary lymph node calcifications on mammography. American Journal of Roentgenology. 2004 Sep;183(3):831-2.