Bucyrus Community Hospital has enhanced their
women’s health services with the
purchase and installation of a digital mammography
system. Although comparable to conventional film
mammography, digital testing has proven benefits in
breast cancer screening for women: shorter exam
times, lower doses of radiation, faster image
acquisition, image alteration capabilities by
physicians, and improved contrast between dense and
non-dense breast tissue.
While conventional mammography systems create
pictures on x-ray films, digital mammography systems
use computers and digital images providing greater
benefits for patients and physicians. Unlike film
images, digital images can be altered in areas such
as magnification, brightness and contrast to help
physicians clearly see certain images. Because these
digital images can be manipulated in clarity, the
probabilities for repeat mammograms are
decreased.
Women can also benefit from digital mammograms
because of shorter exam times and lower doses of
radiation. Exam times are often shorter because the
x-ray images are readily available within a minute
after the data is captured and there is no film to
develop. Although radiation doses in film mammography
are extremely low and safe, radiation doses used in
digital mammograms can be reduced considerably and
still detect breast cancer as well as conventional
film methods.
Perhaps one of the most
beneficial factors of digital mammography is for
women who have dense, or non-fat breast tissue. Fatty
tissue appears very dark on mammograms and dense
tissue appears as solid white. Unfortunately, tumors
also appear white, making them hard to detect because
they look like the dense tissue that surrounds them.
Digital mammography, however, is able to see the
clarity and contrast between dense breast tissue and
breast tumors. Mammography, whether film or digital,
remains the best method for early breast cancer
detection. To schedule a mammogram appointment at
Bucyrus Community Hospital, call 419-563-9327.
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