May 16, 2008
DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY – No physician referral needed for baseline or routine screening! Call today to schedule an appointment.

Muscatine Radiology is pleased to announce the addition of Digital Mammography services to its menu of high-end imaging services. Women undergoing digital mammographic examinations will see few differences during the examination itself, however the mammographic technologist will be able to view images on a monitor within several seconds instead of waiting ten minutes to see an image. Breast compression is still required to produce optimal images at the lowest possible radiation dose.

Digital mammography offers many advantages. The main benefit of digital mammography for patients is the improved detection of cancer in patients under 50 or those patients who have particularly dense breast structure. In addition, recent studies show that the call-back rate from screenings (needing to return for additional diagnostic mammographs after a screening mammogram) was less with full-field digital mammography than screen-film systems. That is, fewer women needed to return for extra views with digital imaging. This is probably due to the ability of the radiologist to magnify an image and change contrast with digital systems. Since digital images are available within seconds of exposure, interventional procedures such as needle localizations requiring x-ray guidance performed on digital machines are much faster for the patient. The time the breast is in compression is shorter, thus enhancing the patient’s mammography experience and follow-up care.

There is no sure way to avoid breast cancer. Some healthy lifestyle choices, however, may help lower the risk of the disease and have the added bonus of cutting the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and osteoporosis. Everyone should try to:
• Be physically active.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Cut down on “bad” fats (saturated and trans fats), and
consume more “good” fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive and canola oil).
• Take a daily multivitamin with folic acid (often called folate on nutrition labels).
• If you drink, limit alcohol intake to less than one alcoholic drink a day for women, and fewer than two drinks a day for men. (Those who drink alcohol should try to get adequate folic acid, either through a multivitamin or rich food sources like oranges, orange juice or fortified breakfast cereals.)
• Choose to breast feed children instead of formula feeding them if possible.

May 16, 2008
Digital X-Ray Coming Soon!