[DutchgirlRN]

I hear that the MRI Mammo's blow the traditional Mammo's away. We're going to start doing them this year in the outpatient center and also will be doing MRI guided breast biopsies. The biopsies will require conscious sedation, which I do for CT guided biopsies in the main hospital.

I'm excited about adding these services to our outpatient center. Anyone familiar with MRI Mammo's?

I've been told that next year we'll be adding ablations to our services, i.e. MRI uterine fibroid ablations, shrinking cancerous tumors for pain control, no cardiac ablations will be done.

[dianah]

Hallelujah!!
A test more diagnostic than a mammogram!!

No, I hadn't heard about breast MRIs but it makes a lot of sense.

I've assisted on several UFE's (uterine fibroid embolizations); if the MRI ablation is safer and more accurate and overall better tolerated by the pt, I say WOOT!!

Thanks Dutch, that is ALL exciting news!!

[DutchgirlRN]

Originally Posted by dianah

Hallelujah!!
A test more diagnostic than a mammogram!!

No, I hadn't heard about breast MRIs but it makes a lot of sense.

I've assisted on several UFE's (uterine fibroid embolizations); if the MRI ablation is safer and more accurate and overall better tolerated by the pt, I say WOOT!!

Thanks Dutch, that is ALL exciting news!!

Thanks Di! Where I work is a very progressive little hospital with a great reputation. We have a total of 60 beds which includes all dept's except the ED which has 16 rooms. We've been listed in the top 100 hospitals in the country 7 times out of the last 10 years, 3 of those times in the top 25%, first in the southeast with Heartview scanning.

Back on subject...the breast MRI involves no squeezing. There is a breast coil, you lie on your stomach and the breasts hang into soft cups. I'm not sure how different size breasts work, surely there are different size coils. It is $1,000 per MRI, covered by insurance if there is a family history of breast CA or if something is seen on a standard digital mammo that needs further evaluation. We have digital mammo, it's pretty amazing by itself, have you seen digital mammo's?

[dianah]

No, have been out of the Radiology loop for these last four years!

I'll have to ask my friends in Radiology about this!

Interventional Radiology, and Radiology in general, is SUCH an exciting, dynamic area!!!
These new exams and ways of doing things, help the pts so much.