By Jenna Rehnstrom
jrehnstrom@kcautv.com
Mercy Medical Center is now able to offer the latest in breast screening at two locations. And the convenience, combined with the latest tools, could be the key to saving lives.
The new digital equipment is a first for the main hospital in Downtown Sioux City. It means faster, more detailed images with the most advanced technology available for breast cancer screening.
"For Siouxland women and all women it's a much more comprehensive exam. The radiologist is better able to see – the image is much clearer, much better to find smaller lesions [and] to treat them more quickly," says Barb Black, Director or Radiology.
But, will you notice a difference? Barb says, "yes".
While compression is still used in digital mammography, many women have said the new machine is also more patient –friendly.
"Also it's much more comfortable for women. The paddles that they're using now, the squeezing part, or the discomfort women might have felt before is much less now and the time to complete the mammogram is much less now – and in addition to that, [it gives] just a little bit smaller dose of radiation, and in our society, that's a very conscientious thing that we're aware of," says Black.
The hospital also offers digital mammography at the Mercy Breast Care Center in Dakota Dunes. You can be referred to which ever location is most convenient for you.
The digital mammography equipment was made possible, in part by a grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
