Women who undergo routine Mammograms at Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital (CTMH) and Cayman Islands Imaging (CII) now have the latest diagnostic technology available to them, digital mammography and Tomosynthesis.
CTMH has upgraded its mammography equipment and integrated an R2 Computer Assisted Diagnosis (CAD) workstation. The new equipment is the most advanced equipment available on the market for breast cancer screening. Made by Hologic, the unique system offers 3D scanning of the breast instead of traditional 2D scanning. The State-of-the-Art equipment is the first of its kind to reach FDA approval and is award-winning, “For many years Hologic’s digital mammography systems have been the systems of choice in the U.S. and in many other countries of the world,” said Peter Soltani, Hologic Senior Vice President and General Manager, Breast Health, in a recent statement. “Taking the top three places for digital mammography in 2012 Best in KLAS awards represents a new milestone for our Company and shows the high regard users of our equipment have for Hologic breast imaging products.”
The state-of-the-art system, Selenia™ digital mammography from Hologic™ now introduced to the island allows for something else new… pain-free mammograms. “The pressure used in the mammogram is just enough to hold the tissue in place so there is no movement while the procedure takes place. So there is none of the squeezing that has been experienced in the past,” explains Dr. Yaron Rado, Chief Radiologist at CTMH and Cayman Islands Imaging. Beyond practically pain-free mammograms, CTMH will not be increasing the fees associated with mammograms. Fees for procedures on the new equipment will be the same as those of the past. Dr. Rado emphasized, “It’s very exciting to see this new technology being implemented at the hospital. The introduction of technological advancements of this kind, which are not currently available anywhere else in the region, is important to the strategic plans that we have as a hospital and the future that CTMH sees for strengthening its motto of exceptional health care.” By offering women the latest technology in mammography, CTMH hopes to increase the number of women and men who follow recommendations for regular screenings.
Traditional Mammograms present certain challenges in image reading and interpretation. When a 3D object like the breast has to be displayed as a 2D X-ray, the breast must be forcibly “squeezed” so it can be as flat as possible. This leads to a loss of image-depth information. Due to this image flatness, lesions may be masked by the tissue above or underneath, or normal structures may mimic a lesion.
Breast Tomosynthesis, the new technology being used, helps reduce these challenges.
Digital tomosynthesis is a new kind of test that’s trying to overcome the three big issues of digital mammography:
| Old Mammogram | New 3D Pain Free Mammogram | |
|---|---|---|
| The Pain and Uncomfortable SQUEEZE! The compression of the breast that’s required during a mammogram can be uncomfortable. Some women really dislike having the procedure done…and it could deter them from getting the test. (Early detection is KEY to saving lives with Breast Cancer!) | Tomosynthesis is a special kind of mammogram that produces a 3-dimensional image of the breast by using several low-dose x-rays obtained at different angles. For tomosynthesis, the breast is positioned in the same way as for a mammogram but the x-ray tube moves in a circular arc around the breast. | |
| The compression also causes overlapping of the breast tissue. Breast cancer can be hidden in the overlapping tissue and not show up on the mammogram. | The 3D images discern different overlapping tissue. | |
| Mammograms take only one picture, across the entire breast, in two directions: top to bottom and side to side. It’s like standing on the edge of a forest, looking for a bird somewhere inside. To find the bird, it would be better to take 10 steps at a time through the forest and look all around you with each move. | Modern studies show that tomosynthesis outperforms traditional mammography. The benefits were seen for both masses and microcalcification, the recall rates showed a reduction of about 40%. |
About Tomosynthesis:
Tomosynthesis is a revolutionary technology that gives radiologists the ability to identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue. During a tomosynthesis scan, multiple, low-dose images of the breast are acquired at different angles. These images are then used to produce a series of one-millimeter thick slices that can be viewed as a three-dimensional reconstruction of the breast. This technology allows the radiologist to view a mammogram in a way never before possible.