Boone Memorial Hospital (BMH) is now one of the only healthcare providers in the local area to feature the state-of-the-art system, Selenia digital mammography from Hologic. The new technology at BMH will allow individuals to receive a mammogram close to home, hospital officials said.
Tommy Mullins, administrator of the hospital, says the new technology is great news for the community.
“We can better serve the community with better quality health care,” Mullins said.
Breast cancer will affect an average of one in eight women sometime in their lifetime, according to national statistics.
It is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women and numerous studies prove that early detection is a vital component in the successful treatment of breast cancer.
Greg Zornes, director of Radiology at the hospital, says the upgrade from film screen to digital offer a higher quality resolution image that can be displayed on a high-resolution computer monitor and transmitted and stored just like computer files.
“Unlike film-based mammography, digital mammograms produce images that appear on the technologist’s monitor in a matter of seconds,” he said.
The radiologist can magnify the images, increase or decrease the contrast and invert the black and white values while reading the images, Zornes added.
“These features allow the radiologist to evaluate microcalcifications and focus on areas of concern,” he said.
Dr. Robert Smith says the new state-of-the-art technology is an improved and more accurate means of looking at the breast tissue.
“It will improve our ability to detect breast cancer and other abnormalities of the breast,” he said.
By offering women the latest technology in mammography, the hospital hopes to increase the number of area women who follow recommendations for regular screenings, Smith said.
The actual test itself is performed in the same manner as before when using analog/film screen, Smith added.
“However, with the new digital technology the results produce much greater images and allow for lesser visits by the patient,” he said.
Smith says this potentially saves additional time and reduces a woman’s exposure to x-rays.
Mullins says the hospital will host a ribbon-cutting luncheon ceremony on its front lawn on Friday, July 23.
“Pre-registration is not required,” Mullins said. “However, the hospital does ask that you take a minute to contact Event Coordinator, Karlie Belle Price to confirm whether you are attending. This courtesy will allow us to plan accordingly for the luncheon,” Mullins added.
Mullins said Price can be contacted by email at info@wvbelles.org or by calling 304-437-1572.
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