3D Mammography in New Albany, IN

Baptist Health Floyd: 3D Mammography

3D breast imaging helps specialists find breast cancer as early and as small as possible. Learn more about 3D imaging mammograms with Baptist Health Floyd.

3D Mammography in New Albany, IN HealthTalks Transcript

Laura Barkley, MD, Radiology:
It’s important for women to get their yearly mammogram starting at age 40. The goal of the yearly screening mammogram is to find breast cancers as early as possible and as small as possible. The reason that we want to do that is because the earlier and smaller that it’s found, the less aggressive treatment is needed and the less likely that the breast cancer has spread anywhere outside of the breast.

Breast imaging has improved right along with the rest of radiology. The quality of our equipment improves constantly. 3D breast imaging is the newest technology that improves the quality of mammography. On a regular 2D mammogram, the old kind, we usually had four pictures of the breast and we were able to see two pictures of each side. With a 3D mammogram, it takes extra pictures without giving an extra dose [of radiation], and we’re able to see the details of the breast like flipping through the pages in a book. We have a lot more information and a lot more images to look through.

The 3D mammogram does decrease the false positives by having the extra detail. We can save some women from having to be called back for extra imaging. It also helps us find smaller breast cancers, especially in women with dense breasts, that can be obscured on a 2D mammogram by dense breast tissue. I’ve dedicated my career and focused on finding breast cancers as small as possible and as early as possible for women. I love that I’m able to use all the technology that we have to find breast cancer at an early stage.

Next Steps and Useful Resources:

Take a Free Breast Cancer Health Risk Assessment
Find a Provider Near You
Learn More About Mammography
What is a Mammogram? Common Mammogram Questions