Mammography

The mammography services at our Cleveland area locations play a vital role in the diagnosis of breast disease.

Mammograms can tell physicians a lot about a patient’s breast health. Normal breast tissue varies widely among women and can even vary for the same woman over time. This makes interpreting mammograms a challenging job. Therefore, at Southwest General’s Breast Center, we combine state-of-the-art technology for the greatest possible image clarity and highly skilled board-certified radiologists for careful study and interpretation of mammograms to help preserve and/or restore breast health.

Breast Density Information

Effective March 2015, the State of Ohio has implemented the Breast Density Inform Bill, which requires health care providers to identify and inform patients if they have dense breast tissue.

The purpose of the bill is to improve breast cancer detection and prevention by educating patients about dense breast tissue, which may potentially conceal abnormalities during mammography.

If you are identified as having dense breast tissue, the notification will be provided to you by the Breast Center in your patient letter following your mammogram. The breast density notification also will be provided to your ordering physician on the final mammogram report.

The summary on your patient letter and your final report will include the following statement:

“Your mammogram demonstrates that you have dense breast tissue, which could hide abnormalities. Dense breast tissue, in and of itself, is a relatively common condition. Therefore, this information is not provided to cause undue concern; rather, it is to raise your awareness and promote discussion with your health care provider regarding the presence of dense breast tissue in addition to other risk factors."

This notification is to inform you of the possibility of additional imaging to pick up what a regular two-dimensional mammogram might have a hard time detecting if you have dense breast tissue. The necessity of additional imaging due to dense breast tissue should be discussed with your primary care physician.

For further educational information, you can contact our Breast Health Navigator at 440-816-2674 or view the Breast Density Brochure.

Our Cleveland Based Mammography Team is Committed to Quality and Compassionate Breast Care

Providing compassionate, quality patient care is important to us. Our mammography team is located in the Cleveland area and includes; board-certified radiologists, certified mammography technologists and a breast nurse navigator--all committed to providing you with the best possible breast care. All of the technologists at our Breast Center are female. In addition to mammography, our highly skilled breast center team is trained to provide other breast care procedures as well.

Most abnormalities found in the breast are not cancerous. However, if the diagnosis is breast cancer, our team can help direct you to the resources you will need to make an informed, confident decision about your course of treatment.

The Importance of Mammography

Mammography plays a vital role in maintaining breast health and in diagnosing breast cancer and other breast-health issues early, when they are most treatable. Screening procedures, including mammography, are vital to a breast health. Southwest General provides a range of screening procedures to promote breast health in the communities we serve.

State-of-the-Art Mammography Procedures

Southwest General offers patients the most advanced technology available for mammography, including both 2-D digital imaging and three-dimensional (3D) Tomosynthesis, both of which provide diagnostic images with greater clarity than traditional film mammography. Mammography services include:

• 3D Breast Tomosynthesis - Offers improved, subtle cancer detection, especially for patients with dense and/or fatty breast tissue. Tomosynthesis uses high-resolution computers to convert digital breast images into thin layers or slices. These slices create a 3D mammogram when reconstructed. The images can be manipulated to better locate and evaluate abnormal breast tissue. The improved clarity of Tomosynthesis can help reduce the number of times women are called back for repeat procedures to provide additional views for diagnostic purposes. Additionally, 3D technology uses a very low X-ray energy so exposure is safely below the American College of Radiology guidelines.
  
  There may be an additional charge of $103 if 3D tomosynthesis is not a service covered by your insurance company.
  
  3D Mammography is offered at Southwest General’s Breast Center on the Main Campus and at the Strongsville Medical Center.
• Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) - This revolutionary technology assists the radiologist in reading your mammogram, highlighting areas of interest that might otherwise go undetected. The system acts like a spell-checker for medical images, performing more than one billion calculations per film. It is designed to assist radiologists in reducing the number of false-negative readings by drawing attention to areas that warrant a second review. This can ultimately aid radiologists in earlier detection of breast cancer earlier.
• Digital Mammography - As a leader in diagnostic imaging, Southwest General joins premiere breast imaging centers throughout the nation in adopting digital mammography technology. Digital mammography allows breast images to go directly to a computer where they can be enhanced as they are read by the radiologist. This technology provides improved images, reducing artifacts that may appear as micro-calcifications. It also reduces radiation exposure to the patient.

We Look Forward to Helping You

To schedule a mammogram at any of the following Greater Cleveland locations please call our Scheduling Department at 440-816-8605. A physician's prescription is required for mammography services.

• Southwest General Breast Center - Main Campus
  Monday - Wednesday 7:15 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
  Thursday - Friday 7:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  Saturday 8:00 a.m. - noon
• Strongsville Medical Center - Imaging
  Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• Brunswick Medical Center - Imaging
  Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.