Medina Regional Hospital is proud to announce the addition of digital mammography to its women’s health services. The new equipment was purchased with a $261,250 grant from Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and matching funds of $13,750 from the Medina Healthcare Fund.
Mammography is a specialized imaging system that uses x-ray to see inside the breasts. A mammogram is the best screening method for early detection of breast cancer and other breast diseases. One of the recent advances in breast imaging is digital mammography. Prior to digital mammography, x-ray images were maintained as a hard film copy. Now, images are digital files that are stored electronically, making them more easily accessible. These digital images can be compared to previous film images to aid in diagnosis. A radiologist will review and interpret the images and send a report to the referring physician.
“Thanks to Medina Healthcare’s partnership with South Texas Radiology Group (STRG) patients can be assured that they are getting a comprehensive reading of their results in a timely manner,” says CEO Janice Simons. “Another benefit is that the technologists and the radiologists can view exams from prior years on our equipment if they were performed at a STRG or Methodist Healthcare facility,” says Ms. Simons.
How Do They Work?
The digital mammogram procedure and appearance of the machine are very similar to a traditional film mammogram. A specially qualified radiologic technologist will position the breast on the mammo platform and then gently and gradually compress the breast with a clear plastic paddle. This compression may be uncomfortable, but is necessary to spread out the breast tissue so that small abnormalities or cancers are less likely to be hidden by overlying tissue. Images of each breast are obtained in this way from top-to-bottom and with an angled side view.
Sheryl Hill of Hondo was one of the first patients to have her mammogram on the new equipment. “Yvette (Medina’s technologist) is wonderful,” she says. “I have been coming to Medina Regional Hospital for my mammograms for several years. It really is so much faster with the digital equipment. In previous years, the tech would do the compression, take the image, and then go check to make sure there weren’t any problems with the image. If necessary, she would take another image, check the film, etc. This time, I was in and out very quickly. She explained how the new technology works and it’s really impressive. I live out of town, and I was able to schedule my exam after work. I was really impressed with how quick it was, from beginning to end. It was awesome!”
Medina Healthcare System began offering digital mammography services on March 3, 2016. To schedule your mammogram, please call (830) 426-7722.
What Are the Benefits of Digital?
- Better analysis Digital images can be adjusted by the radiologist making it easier to see subtle differences in tissues and improve the accuracy of results.
- Easier second opinions. Digital images are easily stored and retrieved making transmission of exams from one physician to another quick and easy.
- Lower radiation dosage. Significantly lower radiation dose than film mammography
- Quicker exam. Digital images are immediately available for review on a computer monitor, eliminating the wait time for processing film.
Medina
Regional Hospital Now Offers Digital Mammograms
Medina Regional Hospital is proud to announce the addition
of digital mammography to its women’s health services. The new equipment was
purchased with a $261,250 grant from Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and
matching funds of $13,750 from the Medina Healthcare Fund.
Mammography is a specialized imaging system that uses x-ray
to see inside the breasts. A mammogram is the best screening method for early
detection of breast cancer and other breast diseases. One of the recent
advances in breast imaging is digital mammography. Prior to digital
mammography, x-ray images were maintained as a hard film copy. Now, images are
digital files that are stored electronically, making them more easily accessible.
These digital images can be compared to previous film images to aid in
diagnosis. A radiologist will review and interpret the images and send a report
to the referring physician.
“Thanks to Medina Healthcare’s partnership with South Texas
Radiology Group (STRG) patients can be assured that they are getting a
comprehensive reading of their results in a timely manner,” says CEO Janice
Simons. “Another benefit is that the technologists
and the radiologists can view exams from prior years on our equipment if they
were performed at a STRG or Methodist Healthcare facility,” says Ms. Simons.
How Do They Work?
The digital mammogram procedure and appearance of the
machine are very similar to a traditional film mammogram. A specially qualified
radiologic technologist will position the breast on the mammo platform and then
gently and gradually compress the breast with a clear plastic paddle. This
compression may be uncomfortable, but is necessary to spread out the breast
tissue so that small abnormalities or cancers are less likely to be hidden by
overlying tissue. Images of each breast are obtained in this way from
top-to-bottom and with an angled side view.
Sheryl Hill of Hondo
was one of the first patients to have her mammogram on the new equipment. “Yvette (Medina’s technologist) is
wonderful,” she says. “I have been
coming to Medina Regional Hospital for my mammograms for several years. It really is so much faster with the digital
equipment. In previous years, the tech
would do the compression, take the image, and then go check to make sure there
weren’t any problems with the image. If
necessary, she would take another image, check the film, etc. This time, I was in and out very
quickly. She explained how the new
technology works and it’s really impressive.
I live 13 miles out of town, and I was able to schedule my exam after
work. I was really impressed with how
quick it was, from beginning to end. It
was awesome!”
Medina Healthcare System began
offering digital mammography services on March 3, 2016. To schedule your mammogram, please call (830)
426-7722.
What Are the Benefits of Digital?
·
Better
analysis Digital images can be adjusted by
the radiologist making it easier to see subtle differences in tissues and
improve the accuracy of results.
·
Easier
second opinions. Digital
images are easily stored and retrieved making transmission of exams from one
physician to another quick and easy.
·
Lower
radiation dosage. Significantly
lower radiation dose than film mammography
·
Quicker
exam. Digital images
are immediately available for review on a computer monitor, eliminating the
wait time for processing film.