Source: Waikato District Health Board
L-R: Ashlee Price, Alison Bussey, René Davidse, Vicki Mallet-Smith, Diana Balog, Gillian Field, Bridget Hill.
A new and improved mammography machine was warmly welcomed this week at the Breast Care Centre at Waikato Hospital to assist in early detection of breast cancers and support the growing demand for breast screening services.
The new machine is able to review imaging abnormalities in clearer, higher detail and will allow radiologists to better determine the need of abnormalities to be biopsied.
The new system also provides a more comfortable examination for patients and is more efficient.
It is the first of its kind at Waikato Hospital, replacing the previous mammography machine which had been relocated last May from Breast Care to the Thames health and wellbeing hub, Pito Hauora to support screening options for the local community.
The new machine can be used for standard 2D scans, and is also capable of 3D Mammography, also known as Digital Breast Tomography (DBT). This is an advanced form of detailed mammography that uses a low-dose x-ray system and computer imaging as an added investigative tool.
Vicki Mallet-Smith, lead Mammographer at the BreastScreen Midland service says the new Mammography machine is a welcome technological advancement for the service.
The Tomography feature of the machine involves the breast imaging being captured in ‘slices’ – similar to a CT scan. The images are overlapped, increasing breast tissue visibility and reducing the ability of breast cancer to hide behind other pieces of normal tissue.
With the installation of the new mammography machine increasing the imaging capacity at the Breast Care Centre, BreastScreen Te Manawa Taki looks forward to welcoming even more wahine through the doors for their mammograms.
Breast Care’s new machine was blessed on February 23, and will be fully operational once staff have completed the required training in the coming weeks.
