Mammography:
Digital Mammography

Mammography, Digital Mammography, Ultrasound and X-Ray Services

A mammogram is a safe, low-dose x-ray procedure that records the internal tissues of your breast. Mammograms are simple exams that are used as standard diagnostic studies to determine the possibility of irregularities within the breast. Your first mammogram, which you should have between 35 and 40, is a baseline study. That means it will serve as a comparison for all future mammograms, alerting your doctor to any suspicious changes that may occur.

Who should have a digital mammogram?
Researchers concluded in January 2008, after a seven-year study of over 50,000 women, that:

Digital mammograms are better for pre- and perimenopausal women under 50 years old with dense breast tissue.
For women over 65 with fatty breast tissue, traditional film based mammograms appear to work better.

Dense breast tissue can make a mammogram harder to read than fatty breast tissue. Women with dense breast tissue, who are usually younger, have a higher risk of cancer.

Women in the study were considered pre- or perimenopausal if they had a menstrual period within 12 months of their mammograms. Women typically enter menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age being 51.

After age 40, an annual mammogram is one of the best tools your doctor will have for early detection of breast cancer. Nearly one out of nine women in the United States develops breast cancer, but greater than 95% of women whose breast cancer is diagnosed early will survive, so the sooner an abnormality is detected the more successfully it can be treated.

It is a good idea to make an appointment with your primary care physician or your gynecologist to have a breast exam prior to your annual mammogram.

To make a mammography appointment, call the Breast Care Center at Hudson Valley Hospital Center at (914) 734-3674, or call one of our satellite facilities:

Waterside Diagnostic Imaging
Waterside Professional Park, Putnam Valley, NY
(914) 528-6820

The Medical Center at Croton
35 S. Riverside Avenue, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
(914) 271-9481

Mammography: Digital Mammography

Mammography, Digital Mammography, Ultrasound and X-Ray Services

Mammography:
Digital Mammography