EUGENE, OR — It’s almost a cliché to say that everything’s gone digital. Well, now you can add mammography to the list. So what?
“For women with dense breast tissue, digital mammography allows us to get a clear, precise image,” says Dr. Cathryn Chicola, radiologist at Oregon Imaging Centers and Director of Women’s Imaging. “For the rest of the women, we get those same clear images to work with—and women get less of a radiation hit than with traditional mammography.”
According to Chicola, Oregon Imaging Centers replaced all of its traditional mammography equipment with digital machines simply to be able to provide that all-important edge in the diagnosis of the most common cancer among women. The American Cancer Society reports that the chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about 1 in 8 (13% of women).
“If we can diagnosis breast cancer in one woman more quickly with this equipment, then it’s worth our investment,” said Chicola. She strongly encourages every woman over the age of 40 get a mammogram every year. “Early detection saves lives,” Chicola says. “It’s that simple.”
Additional advantages of digital mammography include:
- Significantly decreased wait times for results
- Reduced need for repeat exams due to under or over exposure
- Images are easily duplicated with no image quality loss
Oregon Imaging Centers has also installed special mammography pads on its new machines, helping to make the screening experience a little less uncomfortable. The soft foam cushion warms the machine and cushions the breast.
Oregon Imaging Centers, a joint venture between PeaceHealth and Radiologist Associates, P.C., serves patients in two locations in the Eugene/Springfield area. Services include X-ray, multi-slice CT, mammography, MRI, PET, and breast biopsy, among others.
