XRA Medical Imaging is an accredited facility from the American College of Radiology to perform Mammograms and Digital Mammography services in Rhode Island. Find information regarding our Mammography service below, and our office locations where a Digital Mammography can be performed.
A
Mammogram (Digital Mammography) is an X-ray of the breast that
uses a limited amount of radiation. A mammogram exams the breasts for changes that are not normal. The results are recorded on x-ray film or directly into a computer for a radiologist to examine.
A mammogram allows the doctor to have a closer look for changes in breast tissue that cannot be felt during a breast exam. It is used for women who have no breast complaints and for women who have breast symptoms, such as a change in the shape or size of a breast, a lump, nipple discharge, or pain. Breast changes occur in almost all women. In fact, most of these changes are not cancer and are called “benign,” but only a doctor can know for sure. Breast changes can also happen monthly, due to your menstrual period.
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Mammography can identify breast cancer in
its early stages. Mammographic screening
has a high sensitivity and, if a tumor is present,
it is very uncommon for that tumor not to be
detected by mammography.
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The patient will be asked to undress to the
waist and stand in front of the X-ray machine.
The radiographer will then position each
breast in between two plates so that it is
compressed and flattened. A brief pulse of
X-ray is then used to take images of each
breast. Normally two images per breast are
taken on the first visit, and one or two on
every subsequent visit.
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Mammography plays a crucial role in early detection of breast cancers. Mammography can show early changes in the breast before a woman or her physician can feel them. Once a lump is discovered, mammography can be a tremendous tool in the evaluation process. It is estimated that 48 million mammograms are performed each year in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration reports that mammography can find 85 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women over 50 and can discover a lump up to two years before it can be felt.
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Screening Mammography is an x-ray examination of the breasts in a woman who is asymptomatic. The goal of screening mammography is to detect abnormalities when they may be too small to be felt by a woman or her physician. Early detection of breast cancer is a women’s best protection in improving a woman's chances for successful treatment. A screening Mammography is recommended yearly for women over the age of 35.
Diagnostic Mammography is an examination of the breast in a woman who has a breast complaint such as pain or a lump. Diagnostic Mammography is also performed to further evaluate a suspicious finding seen on a Screening Mammogram. The images are obtained in the same manner as for a Screening Mammogram, with slight changes in the position of the breast or using different types of compression paddles. Following a Diagnostic Mammogram, a patient may subsequently require a Breast Ultrasound.
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Cranston Office >> 65 Sockanosset Cross Rd., Cranston, RI
Johnston Office >> 1524 Atwood Ave., Johnston, RI
Johnston Office >> 1539 Atwood Ave., Johnston, RI
Middletown Office >> 345 Valley Rd., Middletown, RI
Smithfield Office >> 41 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield, RI
Wakefield Office >> 481 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield, RI
What is a Mammogram?
