Digital mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system and high-contrast, high-resolution digital plate to examine the breasts. Using half the radiation dose of conventional mammography, Digital Mammography produces a crisper, more detailed picture than conventional mammography. You can see the increased clarity and detail of a Digitial Mammogram in the image shown on the right.

In addition, every exam is double-read with a computerized system, which has been shown to diagnose 20% more cancers than conventional mammography. When compared to the national average, in the first year that the doctors at San Luis Diagnostic Center had digital mammography, they found twice as many cancers than they did with conventional mammography.

Most medical experts agree that successful treatment of breast cancer is often linked to early diagnosis. Mammography can play a critical role in early detection of breast cancers because it can show changes in the breast up to two years before you or your physician can feel them. Current guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend annual screening mammography beginning at age 40.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) adds that if you have had breast cancer or are at increased risk due to a genetic history of breast cancer, you should seek expert medical advice about whether you should begin screening before age 40 and about the frequency of screening. In addition, you may be a candidate for breast MRI (please click here to read more about Breast MRI).

Initial mammographic images themselves are not always enough to determine the existence of a benign or malignant disease with certainty. If a finding or region seems suspicious or simply unclear, your radiologist may recommend additional mammographic images or further diagnostic studies, such as a breast ultrasound or MRI.

A Digital Mammogram takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes. When you combine Digital Mammography with our efficient check-in process, total patient visit time is approximately 15 minutes, less than half of conventional mammography centers.

Please click here for directions on how to prepare for this procedure.

Please see our brochure for more information regarding Breast Imaging.

An MRI is sometimes used as a follow-up exam after a mammogram, especially if you have particularly dense breast tissue or implants. A breast MRI displays the various types of tissue within the breast and can differentiate between normal and abnormal breast tissue. Breast MRIs can also be useful if you have implants, since the MRI can detect abnormalities with the implant, such as rupture or a leak.

Breast MRI is also very useful in screening women at high risk of breast cancer. We have a very detailed brochure, which can be accessed below, that goes into considerable depth about this procedure.

Please review the Blue Cross Breast MRI Medical Policy (Adobe PDF - 923 KB) regarding important specific coverage information for this procedure.

Please click here for directions on how to prepare for this procedure.

Please see our brochure for more information regarding Breast MRI.

Breast ultrasound is generally performed as problem solving test. It is often performed after having done a Digital Mammogram to better determine whether an abnormality seen on the mammogram is a solid mass or if it is a fluid-filled mass (commonly known as a "cyst").

Breast ultrasound is also done if a women or her doctor feels a mass or lump in the breast. This test is done even when the mammogram is normal. Almost all women with a lump that is felt will be examined with a breast ultrasound.

To perform a breast ultrasound, a woman lies on her back, the technologist or radiologist places a warm gel on the breast, then the ultrasound probe is place on the gel. Multiple images are then obtained in an attempt to clarify what type of mass you may have and to localize it for biopsy. Most breast biopsies are also done using ultrasound.

No special preparations are required for this procedure.

Please see our brochure for more information regarding Breast Imaging.

Using mammography, our doctor will relocate a suspicious area that has previously been found on a prior mammogram. The doctor will use local anesthesia to numb the area. Then he/she will place a small wire into the abnormal region. This wire will be left in place to guide the surgeon in removing the specific tissue identified on your mammogram. After removal, a pathologist will examine the obtained specimen and make a final diagnosis.

Please click here for directions on how to prepare for this procedure.

Stereotactic breast biopsy is a less invasive and less expensive alternative to open surgical biopsy, which removes an entire breast lump for microscopic analysis. This form of breast biopsy has proven to be as accurate as an open surgical biopsy. In this procedure, the radiologist will pass a hollow needle through your skin into the suspicious mass with the help of the mammography machine and a special attachment that hooks onto our mammography machine. This attachment uses a computer and intersecting coordinates to pinpoint the area of tissue change.

Once the radiologist has located the suspicious area, he/she will use a local anesthetic to numb the skin, and then will insert a needle several times drawing out small tissue samples each time. After the radiologist obtains the samples of breast tissue, the samples will be sent off to a pathologist, who will make the final diagnosis as to whether the mass is malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). When the biopsy is complete, the doctor will place a bandage over the biopsied area and an ice pack on the breast.

This procedure lasts approximately 30 minutes. Please plan on being at our center for one hour.

As of April 2008, San Luis Diagnostic Center is the only ACR Accredited Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Center from Los Angeles to Salinas. The Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Imaging Services of San Luis Diagnostic Center were surveyed by the Committee on Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Accreditation of the Commission on Quality and Safety (General Electric Stereotix 2007 - Accredited for Mass and Calcification Core-Needle Biopsy from March 17, 2008 through March 17, 2011).

Please click here for directions on how to prepare for this procedure.

Please see our brochure for more information regarding Breast Imaging.

For further information on breast biopsies, please see "A Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment" provided by the California Department of Health Services.

Mammography is an excellent way to detect breast abnormalities, but in some cases it is not possible to tell from the mammogram alone whether a growth is benign or cancerous. Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy is a highly accurate way to evaluate suspicious masses within the breast, whether or not they can be felt on breast self-examination or clinical examination. This procedure prevents the doctor from having to remove tissue surgically and eliminates the radiation exposure that comes from using x-rays to locate a mass.

As you lie on your back, the technologist will place an ultrasound probe over the site of the breast lump. After numbing the area with local anesthesia, the radiologist will guide a biopsy needle directly into the mass and then take tissue samples using an automatic spring-loaded device. This procedure takes only 10 to 15 minutes and has all the advantages and accuracy of a stereotactic breast biopsy. When the biopsy is complete, the doctor will place a bandage over the biopsied area and an ice pack on the breast.

Please click here for directions on how to prepare for this procedure.

Please see our brochure for more information regarding Breast Imaging.

For further information on breast biopsies, please see "A Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment" provided by the California Department of Health Services.