Chief Radiologist
“The Breast Center makes for easier follow-up for the patient and better communication among all of the treating physicians. It’s a real continuity of care.”
Breast Health Diagnostics
Diagnostic imaging is an integral part of The Breast Center at Milford Regional. In most cases, it is the first step. It’s a critical tool for annual screening, early detection in high risk women and investigating symptoms. It is also used during a woman’s treatment for breast cancer to evaluate the effectiveness of her treatment.
Breast diagnostics at Milford Regional can be found in the Women’s Pavilion where a full complement of advanced diagnostic technologies is offered. Depending on a woman’s age, symptoms, and health history, one or more state-of-the-art diagnostics will be used including:
Digital Mammography
Breast MRI
Breast Ultrasound
Breast Biopsy
Digital Mammography
Digital Mammography has been available at Milford Regional since the fall of 2006, replacing film-screen mammograms. The advantages of digital mammography are numerous. It allows the radiologists to display and manipulate images quickly and easily on a specialized computer monitor, and it provides improved resolution, particularly in women with dense breast tissue.
Women also have an added layer of assurance with the radiologist’s utilization of a computer-aided detection (CAD) system. This sophisticated screening tool provides a computerized second review of mammograms. It is designed to identify and mark suspicious regions for the radiologist to review after his/her usual interpretation of the mammogram.
Breast MRI
The breast MRI is another important imaging technique that is utilized to evaluate women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, those with dense tissue on mammograms and in patients who have a strong family history of breast cancer. It can also be used to determine the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments. For patients with breast cancer, the breast MRI shows the cancer more clearly than a mammogram or ultrasound. It can also show a lesion that is benign, saving the patient from an unnecessary biopsy.
Breast Ultrasound
A breast ultrasound is most often used in patients with lumps that can be felt or as a follow-up to an abnormal mammogram. The advantage to ultrasound is that there is no radiation, it better characterizes cysts and is an excellent tool for image-guided procedures. It is also quick and painless.
Breast Biopsy
Radiologists perform ultrasound-guided and stereotactic breast biopsies. These biopsies are performed when there is a breast lesion that can’t be felt, an abnormal mammogram or when there is a solid nodule found on ultrasound. Lumps that can be felt are usually biopsied by a surgeon. However, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons’ recommendation is to have an image-guided biopsy initially because it is the least invasive, using a smaller incision. It can usually be scheduled quickly and is done as a day procedure.