Pupil Size Measurement and Sucrose Ingestion for Quantifying and Decreasing Burden of Women during Mammography

Abstract

Many women feel a physical burden, which usually appears as a pain, during mammography. We examined the pain-related pupil dilation response during mammography. Twenty-four healthy women participated in the examination. They were randomly assigned to water group or sucrose group. Water group and sucrose group ingested distilled water and a sucrose solution during mammography, respectively. Their pupil sizes were measured during mammography excluding X-ray irradiation. The subjective intensity of pain during mammography was also assessed using visual analogue scales (VAS). The mean pupil diameter was 2.99 mm in relaxation phase before mammography, while it was 3.15 mm in a few seconds after breast compression (pressure phase). The difference between the two was statistically significant ( p < 0.01). There was no correlation between the VAS scores and the pupil sizes. In the pressure phase, the mean pupil sizes of sucrose group and water group were 2.91 mm and 3.42 mm, respectively. The difference between the two reached statistical significance ( p < 0.01). These results suggest that we may be able to assess objectively the degree of pain associated with mammography and sweet taste stimuli may be effective to alleviate a women’s burden received during mammography.