40 PERCENT MORE ACCURATE

3D Mammograms Improve Detection, Reduce False Positives

The number of mammogram images Dr. Susan Sung now reviews for each patient is around 160, up from just four less than a year ago. Dr. Sung, a diagnostic radiologist with Radiology Associates of Appleton, admits that three-dimensional (3D) mammograms take a lot more time to read, “But they save a lot of time, anxiety, and additional testing down the road.”

Statistics show that 3D mammograms result in a 40 percent reduction in follow-up imaging and a 40 percent improved cancer detection rate compared with traditional 2D mammography. ThedaCare began offering 3D mammograms earlier this year, and women and their doctors immediately began seeing benefits — literally. “Just today I was reviewing a case with a surgeon. We saw something on a woman’s 3D mammogram that we wouldn’t have caught on a traditional 2D image. Our images are so much more detailed,” said Dr. Sung. Read the full story here.