Seeing Mammography in Shades of Gray

Seeing Mammography in Shades of Gray

Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas

The Women's Diagnostic and Breast Center at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas made a major shift in how they perform mammograms. The site recently converted from film technology to the Hologic Selenia Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) system.

The Women's Diagnostic and Breast Center at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas made a major shift in how they perform mammograms. The site recently converted from film technology to the Hologic Selenia Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) system.

Image quality is superb

Dr. Sally H. Bass, Medical Director of the Women's Diagnostic and Breast Center at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, sees digital imaging as the way of the future. "Digital is the technology of the 21st Century. I expect that most facilities will eventually go digital." She noted, however, that the cost of digital systems and the infrastructure needed to support a digital system are a limiting factor for existing analog sites and those sites with small volume. As costs drop, digital will take over more and more of the market.

The main reason Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas chose the Hologic System was the quality of its digital images. "The image quality is superb," said Dr, Bass. "I can see abnormalities much more clearly." Digital also allows the radiologists more options for every image. Dr. Bass said, "With analog, you look at a piece of film, and that's it. That's all you get. With digital, you can manipulate the image contrast, brightness, and magnification levels to better see abnormalities. And with digital, we can easily transmit an image to another facility."

Full field digital mammography & needle localizations

Dr. Bass pointed out how important the Selenia system has been when it comes to performing needle localizations. "With the Selenia system, images are obtained much more quickly which decreases the patient's discomfort and decreases the likelihood of patient motion. With analog systems, if the patient moves significantly, we have to start all over again." She added, "Anything that gets the patient through the procedure, with as little pain and discomfort as possible, is very important to us. And Selenia is the key to this kind of quick turnaround."

Meeting patient demand

"We looked at digital for a number of reasons," said Eric Presson, Administrative Director of Women's, Digestive, and Oncology Services at Presbyterian Hospital. According to Presson, part of the impetus to go digital came from the patients themselves. "Patients in the North Dallas area were coming in and asking if we had digital mammography capabilities." He explained, "They have been reading about this technology, they have researched for themselves the kind of technology that is out there, and they come in wanting us to have the kind of systems that they have been reading about."

The hospital also considered how digital systems would affect productivity and insurance reimbursement. Currently, insurance companies are paying more for digital mammography reimbursements than for traditional analog procedures.

"Digital is making it possible to meet departmental performance metrics while increasing patient satisfaction," said Presson. The Bottom line: digital brings a decrease in patient waiting time and fewer retakes, and an increase in throughput and higher reimbursement rates per patient for the hospital.

The Selenia difference

"We like the Hologic machines very much," said Linda Hernandez, RT, Lead Technologist at the Center. She also cited Selenia's larger image plate as a major factor in choosing a digital mammography system. "We really prefer the larger image plate of the Hologic system," Hernandez said. "Positioning is very easy, and it is very easy to get more tissue and more muscle into compression." The larger image plate allows technologists to image larger breasts in one pass, rather than having to take multiple images.

Digital has also reduced the number of retakes needed in order to get a good image. "You can tell immediately if there has been some motion, or if there was a problem with the image, and you can take another image right away, with the patient right there. You're not waiting around for the film to process, and then having to start the whole procedure all over again."

Patients have said that they appreciate the Selenia "Fast Paddle" feature because it gives even pressure, where it is needed. The Selenia paddles follow the contours of the breast more naturally, without too much compression in any one area.

And with digital technologies, the patients can even step back and view their images with the technologist, which gives them a greater sense of participation in the screening process. "Patients are very impressed," Hernandez said, "They like being able to see the images right in front of them, if they want."

A working relationship

As Presbyterian Hospital began their search into the world of digital imaging, they knew they needed to not only look at the systems available, but the manufacturers of those systems as well.

"It was important for us to find a manufacturer that was willing to work together with us," said Eric Presson. "We wanted a company that would be able to make our hospital a show site for their system, and would involve the hospital in research and development, and control testing of the system. We were able to find that with Hologic."

The hospital already has an exceptional relationship with Hologic, one that is based on trust and commitment. "With a change over as big as this, it was important that we be able to trust the manufacturer, and their field reps," said Presson. "Hologic had always proven itself in our eye. The Hologic Account Manager for our account has an excellent track record. We know that if we need something, the rep will quickly address it."

Dr. Bass added, "The customer support has always been excellent. Hologic has always been there to respond to our needs."

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