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WDI brings Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) to New Jersey
WDI newsletter Summer 2009
RIDGEWOOD, New Jersey — Woman’s Digital Imaging (WDI) in Ridgewood, New Jersey is the first private practice in the New York area and only imaging center in New Jersey to screen patients with Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), also known as molecular breast imaging. When used to find early cancers, BSGI, is comparable to MRI. The differences are fewer false positives, and testing costs that are nearly one-third the price of an MRI. BSGI is recommended for women who have dense breast tissue, are in the high risk category and who find MRI uncomfortably claustrophobic.
WDI is using a Dilon 6800 high-resolution camera, which creates clear pictures of cancers as small as three millimeters. The camera can detect early stage cancers; identify lesions, even in dense breast tissue; and provides similar views for direct mammography comparison. It can also give us images of the axilla (armpit) to help identify abnormal lymph nodes.
While molecular imaging has only recently been applied for breast cancer detection, the technology has been used in diagnostic radiology for decades. For breast screening, patients are given an injection of a tracing agent (similar to the injection cardiac patients get for a stress test), which is absorbed by all the cells in the body, but in greater amounts by abnormal cells. Malignant masses show up as “hot spots,” or dark areas on the images, making molecular screening far more reliable for differentiating cancerous from non-cancerous cells. Unlike mammography and ultrasound, which create images of the physical structure of the breast, BSGI produces an image of the cellular functioning of the breast tissue.
When it comes to detecting cancers, studies have consistently given similar high marks to both BSGI and MRI (about 90 percent accuracy). However, BSGI is superior for determining that cancer is NOT present. A recent study found that BSGI reduced the number of inconclusive findings by 50 percent, eliminating the need for biopsies. BSGI was 3 times more effective than MRI in finding invasive lobular carcinoma, a hard to detect form of cancer affecting about twenty percent of breast cancer patients.
To learn more about BSGI, and to determine if BSGI is right for you, call WDI at (201) 444-4484 to schedule a mammogram and a consultation with Dr. Weinstock.
Women’s Health Imaging Quarterly is published four times a year by Women’s Digital Imaging of Ridgewood, New Jersey, a private practice led by Dr. Lisa Weinstock, specializing in detecting and diagnosing conditions such as breast cancer, gynecologic diseases and osteoporosis. WDI offers a comfortable, private environment, the accuracy of the most advanced diagnostic instruments, and exceptional care from compassionate, highly qualified female doctors.
© Copyright 2008 Women’s Digital Imaging of Ridgewood, New Jersey, All Rights Reserved
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