Get the picture?
New technology in breast cancer detection
coming to Halifax Regional Hospital
S umme r 2011
A J OURNAL
DE VOT ED TO
HEALTHFUL L I V I NG
®
Helping Make Life Better
www.hrhs.org
INSIDE
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Getting quicker care
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Managing your diabetes
7
Free mammograms
WOMEN
who undergo routine
mammograms at Halifax Regional
Hospital (HRH) will have the lat-
est diagnostic technology available
when the facility begins using digital
mammography later this summer.
Unlike standard mammography,
digital mammography uses comput-
ers and specially designed digital de-
tectors to produce an image that can
be displayed on a high-resolution
computer monitor and transmitted
and stored just like computer
fles. (With standard mam-
mography, images are re-
corded on flm using an x-ray
cassette. Te flm is viewed
by the radiologist using a light box
and then stored in the hospital’s fle
room.)
Te new technology allows doc-
tors to review electronic images
of the breast using a special high-
resolution monitor on which they
can adjust the brightness, change
the contrast and zoom in for a closer
look at specifc areas.
More convenience, less waiting
Being able to manipulate images
is one of the main benefts of digital
technology. Tis technology also
reduces the need for repeat
mammograms due
to under- or over-
exposure of the flm,
which is good news
for patients in terms
of comfort and time.
From the patient’s
perspective, having a
digital mammogram
will not seem much dif-
ferent than a conventional
screen-flm mammogram. Both
methods use compression and x-rays
to create clear images of the inside
of the breast. However, with digital
mammography the image appears
on the technologist’s monitor in
seconds, so there is no wait required
while the flm is developed to make
sure it meets standards. In most
cases, women can leave the building
immediately afer the mammogram.
“For women with dense breast
tissue, digital mammography is a
defnite advantage,” says Jimmy Chil-
drey, manager of HRH’s radiology
High-tech equipment means
higher-quality care. To learn more,
call
434-517-3635
.
department. “It has been proven that
a digital system provides a better-
quality image and therefore a better
diagnosis.”
According to Childrey, there are
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