Digital Mammography

Our mammography services now include the latest in breast screening and diagnosis - the digital mammogram. This technology offers views of breast tissue that can help our physicians detect something as small as a grain of sand.

Services available at:

• The Lacks Cancer Center at Saint Mary’s
• Saint Mary’s Southwest
• Advantage Health Physician Network, East Beltline office

The Process. Undergoing a digital mammogram is much like receiving a traditional mammogram: our technologists position and compress each breast to stabilize them, then a specialized digital camera takes pictures from different angles. The images are then uploaded to a computer, allowing our physicians to enlarge and highlight images of the breasts.

The Benefits of Digital Mammography vs. Traditional Mammography. While both digital and traditional film mammographies are key technologies used in the diagnosis of breast cancer, digital mammography does have certain advantages for some women over the traditional film method. For instance, it is more effective in detecting breast cancers in women under the age of 50 and in those whose breasts are made up of dense tissue. Other differences include:

• A digital mammography exam takes less than half the time of traditional film-based exam, and there’s less of a chance you’ll be called back to retake your images.
• Your physician will gain viewing options never before possible with the unique ability to enhance certain areas to get a more precise picture of your condition.
• Your breast images can be zoomed in and out, and the contrast can be lightened or darkened. This feature helps detect microcalcifications, which is like revealing a grain of salt in a ball of clay. 
• Digital images give better visibility of the breast, particularly near the skin line, chestwall and in women with dense breast tissue. Also, digital images are helpful for women with implants and for imaging patients with known abnormalities.
• Your physician can send your digital images anywhere in the world electronically to be viewed on a workstation by another physician.

To learn more about our other breast services services click here.

To schedule a screening mammogram today, simply call 1-616-685-6756 - no physician referral necessary.