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For Immediate Release
March 28, 2007
Mercy Leads Nation in New Breast Imaging Development
Oklahoma City — Mercy Women's Center has been
selected as one of three worldwide test sites for a new advancement in
breast imaging. For patients, the Bilateral 3-D Spiral RODEO MRI—the
latest upgrade in breast-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging—provides
the highest quality breast images available anywhere to detect breast
cancer.
"We are pleased to serve a leadership role in this
latest development in breast imaging," said Rebecca Stough, M.D.,
director of imaging at Mercy Women’s Center and clinical director of
Breast MRI of Oklahoma. "Breast MRI was a huge leap forward, and now
with the spectacular images provided by the new spiral technique, we can
see details unimaginable just a few short years ago. With over 5,000
breast MRIs performed at our facility since 2003, we have experience
comparable to the leading cancer centers in the U.S—actually a greater
experience than most such centers—and this serves as a rich source of
information for others as we begin publishing our results."
Spiral breast MRI allows a greater degree of spatial
resolution, comparable to what would be seen with a three-fold increase
in magnet strength. In addition, it provides more detail with regard to
the dynamics of the contrast dye (gadolinium), helping the radiologist
to distinguish between benign and malignant findings.
Mercy Health Center began its commitment to breast
imaging with the establishment of the Women's Center in 1997, then the
adoption of digital mammography in 2000 as the first digital site in the
state of Oklahoma. Dr. Stough started the first comprehensive breast MRI
program at Mercy in January 2002, over one year prior to the
availability of breast-dedicated MRI units. During these developments in
breast imaging, the number of women treated for breast cancer at Mercy
has nearly tripled.
Dr. Stough, who will be the keynote speaker this
weekend at the University of California, Irvine, for the dedication of
California’s first breast-dedicated MRI, serves on the Medical Advisory
Board of Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc., the North Andover,
Massachusetts, company that manufactures the only true breast-dedicated
MRI unit. Aurora is also the developer of spiral breast MRI under the
guidance of MRI expert Dr. Steven Harms.
Mercy Women's Center became the second site where
installation is now complete, with only three sites anticipated
worldwide during the development phase.
“Although breast MRI is the most sensitive imaging
tool available for detection of breast cancer, this new technology is
not self-interpreting,” said Dr. Alan Hollingsworth, medical director of
Mercy Women’s Center and Mercy Cancer Program. “It’s extremely important
to have dedicated radiologists with experience in both MRI and
mammography since MRI is a much greater challenge than other types of
breast imaging.”
With breast MRI technology, hundreds of images are
taken of the breast without any radiation exposure, allowing a
radiologist to “travel” by computer through the tissue in order to
identify, diagnose and if necessary biopsy breast abnormalities
demonstrated only on MRI. The Aurora MRI has an integrated biopsy system
that provides pinpoint accuracy for these biopsies.
“We can discover a tiny, subtle abnormality on a
mammogram and then perform a breast MRI and discover far more extensive
cancer than you expected or can see on the mammogram or ultrasound,”
said Dr. Stough. “We are finding breast cancers that are invisible by
mammography and ultrasound.”
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