New 3-D mammography
system at Gritman Medical
Center shows results
LAST
spring, Gritman Medical
Center became the rst of the nine
major hospitals in the region to o er
3-D mammography, and it didn’t
take long to see the bene ts of this
new technology.
“ e new 3-D technology is
allowing us to nd breast cancers
that were previously too small, faint
or hidden to detect,” said Christin
Reisenauer, MD, Medical Director of
Gritman’s Women’s Imaging Center.
Gritman began o ering 3-D
imaging to all its patients on May 6,
2014, and the results have been as-
tounding. Comparing the rst nine
months of 3-D imaging to the same
time period in 2013, with only 2-D
imaging, there has been:
w
A 30 percent increase in the total
number of screening mammograms.
w
More than double the total num-
ber of biopsy-proven breast cancers
found and treated.
w
A nearly 100 percent increase in
breast cancer detection rate as com-
pared to the national average.
w
A substantial increase in positive
predictive value for all biopsies.
w
A more than 25 percent reduction
in call-back requests for additional
imaging.
In addition, Gritman’s Women’s
Imaging Center was chosen by
Hologic to be one of only nine
hospitals worldwide to participate
in the development of its special
computer-aided detection so ware.
is so ware is designed to further
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5
6
Lean increases
ef ciency
Already
saving
lives
enhance breast cancer detection as
part of a complete 3-D mammog-
raphy exam and is now an industry
standard.
“Gritman’s decision to bring
3-D mammography to the Palouse
was like dropping a pebble into a
pond,” said Dr. Reisenauer, who was
recently invited to speak at Harvard
University, where she shared Grit-
man’s amazing success. “Gritman
Medical Center is improving health-
care regionally and gaining national
attention in the process. I’m very
proud of that.”
From the time it was installed, 3-D mammography at Gritman is proving
to save lives. It has shown three clear benefits over 2-D mammography:
•
Higher breast cancer detection rate.
•
Higher predictive value for all biopsies.
•
Fewer women recalled for additional testing.