|
|
|
Digital Mammography
March 10, 2009 |
It’s one of just two in all of Lee County. Technicians have just finished setting
up a new digital mammography system, located in the Outpatient Center at the Sanctuary,
set to open in mid-April.
This new digitized system screens like the conventional method, but rather than
using film, the machine works off electrical signals, promising more accurate and
quicker detection of abnormalities.
“The picture is better. Dense tissue in mammography is imaged better and that’s
been part of the problem with mammography over the years. You weren’t able to see
as well in dense tissue, which younger women are more likely to have...dense tissue,
“says Fern Dennis, System Director for Ambulatory Services.
Bonita Springs Community Health Center is the only other place in Lee County to
have the digital mammography system.
“They are instant. The staff can review them quickly. Its something that can happen
a bit faster than it used to and can be reviewed by the radiologists more quickly,
“adds Dennis.
Each year, 178,000 cases of breast cancer detected. Radiologists hope this new,
faster, digital method will help speed up the diagnosis and treatment process, before
the cancer intensifies. Only about 20% of the mammography units in the entire United
States are digital. The other 80% are conventional. |
|
|
|
|
|
