Women’s health got a big boost at MedCentral Health System following the installation of an advanced tool in the fight against breast cancer.
Terry Baker, director of radiology, said the Hologic Sentinelle Coil for breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been in use since mid-April, providing exceptional image quality, and critical information for patients suspected to have breast cancer.
Breast MRI does not replace mammography or ultrasound for the detection of breast cancer, but is a complimentary tool used for problem solving. It can provide invaluable information to physicians when determining if a patient has breast cancer or not, or in visualizing the extent of disease, particularly when ultrasound and mammography are not clear. The design simplifies positioning for imaging, and can be easily adjusted for breasts of different sizes, serving a wide range of patients.
Baker said that the state-of-the-art equipment was purchased primarily at the request of local physicians who before had no choice but to refer patients out of the community for breast MRI.
“Our patients now have that expert service here at home,” said Baker.
“Before we installed it at MedCentral, it was mainly available at teaching hospitals in bigger cities, ” said Lori Holzworth, radiology supervisor. “Patients don’t have to leave town anymore.”
Breast MRI is a test used to detect breast cancer and discern other non-cancerous abnormalities in the breast. It can be especially useful for patients who have dense breast tissue, as determined on mammography, and for patients that have breast implants.
A physician may request breast MRI when mammogram, ultrasound, and/or clinical breast exam does not provide adequate information. The new breast imaging system helps radiologists zero in on lesions suspicious for breast cancer, and can be useful in evaluating breast implant problems, enlarged lymph nodes under the arms and breast lumps or thickening.
Breast MRI, as other MRI exams, must have pre-authorization from the patient’s insurance prior to scheduling the exam. In addition, the physician must submit a request form including reason for the exam and patient history, as well as appropriate previous studies (if they were done somewhere other than MedCentral) to the radiologist who then is responsible for exam approval.
Patients must complete an MRI Safety questionnaire as they would for any MRI exam.
The day of the exam, the patient will see the pink padded coil, which the MedCentral MRI technologists were trained to use on site. The electronics needed to produce MR images are built into the coil.
Patients are positioned to lie on their stomach, with their breasts hanging freely into coil openings accommodating the breasts, allowing for imaging without compression. Much care is taken to make the patient as comfortable as possible in order to reduce the possibility of motion on the images.
The pink breast coil is used with the hospital’s new MRI scanner, a wide bore magnet, wider and more spacious than older magnets. This means less stress for patients with claustrophobia or difficulty with body positioning during examinations.
An IV must be used to administer contrast during the exam, which lasts between 45 and 60 minutes.
That could be time well spent considering the serious nature of breast cancer and the importance of early detection.
