September - 2010Carlinville Area Hospital Enhances Capabilities with Digital Mammography
Local women are one step closer to improved breast health with the offering of digital mammograms at Carlinville Area Hospital’s imaging department. In order to provide patients with optimal breast imaging and comfort with lower x-ray dosage, Carlinville Area Hospital has installed a MAMMOMAT Novation digital mammography system from Siemens Medical Solutions.
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., breast cancer incidence in women has increased from one in twenty in 1960 to one in eight today. If detected early, the five-year survival rate for this disease exceeds 95%. The MAMMOMAT Novation enables physicians and clinicians to better pinpoint disease and plan treatment. The system also meets the demands of modern mammography practices like Carlinville Area Hospital by providing digital screening, diagnosis, and breast ultrasound capabilities – all in one system.
“Breast self-examination is one of the most important tools for early detection, and regularly scheduled mammograms are not only highly recommended but can often detect a lesion long before it can be felt,” stated Deb Camerer, Head of the Imaging Department at Carlinville Area Hospital. “With this innovative new system, screening and diagnosis all can be performed on a single unit, while both image quality and dose exposure reduction achieve an optimum level,” continued Camerer.
“Our new mammography system, which is the only digital mammography system within a 30-mile radius, will help Carlinville Area Hospital provide the women of Carlinville and surrounding communities with the best possible exams. In addition to increased diagnostic capabilities, MAMMOMAT Novation is also designed to reduce the discomfort often associated with mammography,” stated Camerer.
The new system allows imaging of a wider range of patient breast sizes, and its new paddle design provides easier and more comfortable patient positioning. Its state-of-the-art features and capabilities helps increase cancer detection rates.
In August, Carlinville Area Hospital also installed a PACS system, which enables the images to be read remotely by an experienced radiologist from Clinical Radiologists in Springfield. The digital mammograms performed at Carlinville Area Hospital will be interrupted by radiologist specialized in digital mammography. Local physicians also have access to the PACS system, which allows them to view their patients’ x-ray examinations remotely from their office. It has also allowed Carlinville Area Hospital Imaging Department to become filmless and reduce storage needs.
For more information or to schedule a digital mammogram at Carlinville Area Hospital, call 217-854-3141, extension 303.
Posted: 12/07/2009
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