BI-RADS 5th edition yields small, sustained rise in dense breast assessments

Dense breast categorization rose from 38.4% to 39.1% (p=0.01) after Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 5th edition, with negligible practical effect size (Phi=0.01), in a single-institution study of 132,326 mammograms.

• Retrospective, single-center comparison of 4 years pre- and post-BI-RADS 5th edition, totaling 132,326 mammograms.
• The shift in dense categorization, though statistically significant, had a minimal effect size (Phi=0.01) and so limited practical impact.
• Limitations include single-institution design and retrospective nature, limiting generalizability.

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