For years, physicians and patients have relied on mammography as the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Soon, digital mammography technology entered the industry, inciting a debate whether conventional mammography was better than digital. Many experts now are embracing digitals advantages, including radiologists at Memorial Healthcare System.
The public, non-profit healthcare system is going filmless, transitioning all its mammography sites to Selenia Digital Mammography® before the end of the year. The transition to fully digital mammography solidifies Memorials commitment to offering a model, comprehensive breast care program, which already ties in multiple disciplines from radiology to oncology to surgery. Digital mammography will be available in the following facilities: Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, Memorial Hospital Pembroke and Esther L. Grossman Womens Health and Resource Center. “From a patients perspective, the exam is the same as a film-based mammogram. The breast still needs to be compressed to capture the image,” said Dr. Mary Hayes, medical director of the Memorial Healthcare System Womens Imaging Centers. “However, the digital images provide optimal resolution and contrast of images, allowing the radiologist to detect subtle signs of early breast cancer.”
