Digital Mammography Now Available at SVRMC

EMPORIA, VA (March 23, 2011) – “You have breast cancer.” The four little words that a woman never wants to hear. Unfortunately, one out of every eight women will hear these dreaded words in her lifetime. The good news is that when breast cancer is found early, before the cancer has spread, the five year survival rate is 98 percent. The use of mammography has greatly enhanced the ability to detect breast cancer in an early stage, when it’s most treatable. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association and the American College of Radiology recommend annual screening mammography for women beginning at 40, and it is widely considered the best method of detecting changes in the breast that may be early signs of cancer which are too small or subtle to be detected through self or clinical breast examination.

Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center (SVRMC) is proud to now offer digital mammography, the latest diagnostic technology available in the fight against breast cancer. From the patient’s perspective, digital mammography is virtually the same as a standard film mammogram. The difference is in how the image of the breast is acquired and, more importantly, viewed. Digital technology allows the image to be captured and stored in a computer where the radiologist can magnify the images, adjust the contrast and invert the black and white values for the best possible image quality and evaluation, all while delivering a lower dode of radiation, decreasing exam times and the need for retakes, and providing faster results than traditional film mammography. In addition, the results from the American College of Radiology Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) indicate that digital mammography detected significantly more cancers than screen-film mammography in women 50 and younger, premenopausal and perimenopausal women, and women with dense breasts.

SVRMC is committed to the fight against breast cancer. In offering the latest mammography technology, the medical center hopes to increase the number of area women who follow the recommendations for regular screenings. If you would like to schedule a mammogram or have questions about this important breast health procedure, please contact Betty Lou Robinson, R.T.(R)(M), Mammography Quality Assurance Technologist at 434-348-4836.