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The Tyanna O'Brien Center for Women's Imaging at Mercy now features the Selenia Digital Mammography System

Selenia Digital Mammography System From Hologic Now Available In The Tyanna O'Brien Center For Women's Imaging At Mercy

Mercy Medical Center has expanded its health and wellness services with the installation of three Selenia Digital Mammography systems from Hologic, Jean Warner, M.D., newly appointed Director of the Tyanna O’Brien Center for Women’s Imaging at Mercy, has announced.

Unlike traditional screen mammography which uses film to record an image, digital mammography uses a special detector to capture and convert x-ray energy into a digital image. The resulting images are immediately available to the radiologist for diagnosis.

Digital mammography allows the radiologist to view the X-ray image more closely zeroing in on concerning areas, enabling them to make immediate decisions about additional images. Digital mammography takes less than half the time of traditional, film-based exams, and the radiologist may review the images while the patient is in the examination room.

The radiologist can view and manipulate the images on high-resolution computer monitors that can enhance visualization of structures within the breast tissue. They can also adjust brightness and contrast, and zoom in on specific areas to help detect small calcifications, masses, and other changes that may be signs of early cancer.

“With the digital mammography system, there’s no waiting for films to be developed. This means patients spend less time at the center, and the need to repeat exams due to over or under exposure of film is eliminated. You can store digital images and transfer them electronically, so you’re not dependent on having the original set of films,” Dr. Warner said.

Funding for the equipment was made possible thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski who championed the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Educational FY2008 Appropriations Bill passed by Congress, providing Mercy with $718,000 in funding to convert the hospital’s film-based mammography to computerized digital mammography.

In addition, Mercy also received a $500,000 grant from the Tyanna Barre O’Brien Breast Cancer Foundation. Founded in 1998 by the family of Tyanna Barre O’Brien who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 48, the Tyanna Foundation is a 100% volunteer organization which increases awareness and generates funds through a series of events for breast cancer research, services, education, treatment and patient care. Tyanna O’Brien Center for Women’s Imaging at Mercy and The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy are beneficiaries of the Tyanna Foundation.

Selenia uses selenium based direct capture technology which eliminates light diffusion resulting in improved clarity and image quality. Selenia incorporates the patented HTC grid technology that delivers higher contrast images by significantly reducing radiation scatter without increasing dose. A tungsten x-ray tube with rhodium and silver filters reduces radiation dose to the patient while maintaining the superb image quality and contrast of Selenia images.

“The Selenia full-field digital mammography system provides exceptional image quality and improves the efficiency of exams, and allows us more time to spend with the patient,” Dr. Warner said.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics demonstrate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her life. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s survival. If detected early, the five-year survival rate is 97%.

“For women, they’ll notice little or no difference from traditional mammography. The difference is seen by the radiologist who can now process and retrieve images much faster because there are no films to develop. In addition, digital mammography provides a better scope of visualization, from the skinline to the chest wall, which helps in locating suspicious cysts or calcifications,” Dr. Warner said.

A board certified radiologist. Dr. Warner previously served as Co-Director of The Breast Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center prior to joining Mercy.