Digital Mammography

Full-field digital mammography, the latest in diagnostic mammography screening, is available at all Decatur Memorial Hospital facility locations including Forsyth Imaging Center and South Shores Imaging Center, offering patients with optimal breast imaging and comfort with lower x-ray dosage.

Breast cancer will be diagnosed in more than 200,000 U.S. women this year and will kill 40,000, according to the American Cancer Society. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend screening mammography every year for women, beginning at age 40.

Research has shown that annual mammograms lead to early detection of breast cancers, when they are most curable and breast-conservation therapies are available. If detected early, the five-year survival rate for this disease exceeds 95 percent.

Since the 1970s, mammography, using x-rays to create a picture of the breast, has been the main tool used in the early detection of breast cancers because it can show changes in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them.

Women should have a baseline mammogram between the ages of 35—40, then annually after age 40.

Digital mammography takes the test up a notch by using a computer, rather than x-ray film, to record images of the breast. Solid-state detectors, similar to those found in digital cameras, convert x-rays into electric signals. These signals are converted to an image and stored directly in a computer, allowing the recorded data to be enhanced, magnified, or manipulated for further evaluation by the physician.

Having the mammography images digitally also allows physicians to recall previous mammograms for comparison and view current mammograms from a remote location.

Digital mammography has been proven to increase detection rates for breast cancer, finding 8 percent more cancers than routine film screen mammography.

A larger field of view accommodates a variety of breast sizes and a special paddle design provides easier and more comfortable patient positioning.

Recent studies indicate that some women who have certain high risk factors for breast cancer may need an annual MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test in addition to an annual mammogram. MRI uses magnetic fields to generate cross-sectional views of soft tissue creating detailed images of the breast in “slices” to see potential tumors. An intravenous injection of a dye helps make the images more vivid. The procedure takes 30—45 minutes and does not hurt.

For more information on digital mammography, call 217-876-2320.

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