3D mammography now available at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital

Published 2:32 pm Wednesday, July 20, 2016

GREENSBORO — The latest innovation in breast cancer detection – 3D mammography – is now available at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital. This new technology dramatically increases accuracy compared to 2D mammography, detecting more invasive cancers and reducing false alarms.

“The difference is amazing,” said Jeff Brown, St. Mary’s Director of Radiology and Cardiology Services. “The 3D system detects 41 percent more invasive cancers, but also reduces callbacks by up to 40 percent. That’s great because it means we can detect more dangerous cancers while simultaneously reducing the number of women who have to go through additional testing when there’s actually nothing wrong.”

Good Samaritan offers the Hologic GeniusTM 3D Mammography system at the imaging department inside the hospital at 5401 Lake Oconee Parkway. The Hologic Genius system is also available at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, St. Mary’s Outpatient Imaging Center near Bogart, and St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia. Saturday appointments are available at St. Mary’s in Athens.

Here is why the GeniusTM 3D system is superior to 2-dimensional mammography. In a 2D mammogram, all the tissue of the breast is included in one image. This can sometimes produce unclear results, especially in women with dense breast tissue. In the GeniusTM 3D system, the breast is imaged in layers. According to Hologic, more than 100 clinical studies have shown that this technology improves clarity, reduces the risk of missing an actual cancer, and also reduces the need for return visits to clarify suspicious findings.

“The 3D system allows our radiologists to screen for breast cancer with greater accuracy in women of all ages and regardless of breast density,” Brown said. “It does this with a low dose of radiation that is comparable to 2D mammography and well below the levels the FDA has set for patient safety.”

To schedule your next mammogram at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, use our scheduling app at www.stmarysgoodsam in the “Women’s Services” tab or call 706-389-2700 and let the scheduler know you want your mammogram done at Good Samaritan.

A doctor’s order is not required, but St. Mary’s will need to know which doctor to send your results to. If you don’t have a doctor, St. Mary’s can help you find one. St. Mary’s accepts most major forms of insurance, as well as Medicare, Medicaid, and self-pay. 3D mammography is covered by Medicare and a growing number of private insurers.