Radiology
Franklin Medical Center has one of the most robust radiology departments in our region. We have an entire spectrum of imaging tools at your disposal, including:
- X-Ray
- CT
- Vascular and Diagnostic Ultrasound
- Echocardiography
- MRI
- 3D Mammography
- Nuclear Medicine Scans
- Nuclear Stress Testing
All of these instruments provide superior quality in our own community. To avoid the burden of having to travel out of town, tell your primary care provider that you want your tests done close to home, and our staff will be happy to work with them to accommodate your needs.
3D Mammography
A More Comfortable Mammography Experience for Women Now at Franklin Medical Center.
Here are a few words that rarely go together: relaxed, comfortable, and mammogram. After all, having your breasts compressed tightly between two firm surfaces while you stand there awkwardly half clothed is certainly not the most pleasant of experiences. One of our patients even calls it the “smashogram”.
That’s why Franklin Medical Center is now offering our patients a new option in mammograms: the Senographe Pristina™. Designed from the ground up with the input from women, it is the first mammography system to provide women with the “three Cs”: comfort, confidence, and clarity.
Even the machine itself is designed to resemble not just a piece of medical equipment, but a piece of art, with rounded edges and elegant lighting. But the design is more than just aesthetic; the gentle, rounded corners of the image receptor, where the woman places her breasts, completely changes the stance of the traditional mammogram. Instead of tensing their pectoral muscles while grabbing the traditional handgrips – which can make it hard to acquire high quality images – women can lean comfortably on the armrests, relaxing their muscles to simplify positioning, compression, and improve image quality. The image receptor is also thinner than the previous design, so it doesn’t jab into a woman’s ribs.
The design also improves the technician’s workflow, which improves patient positioning that could lead to faster, more precise exams.
Indeed, poor positioning in mammography is a key factor in image problems, often requiring a repeat scan. The lack of proper positioning can also reduce the sensitivity of the mammogram, possibly leading to missed cancers. In one study, the sensitivity of the mammogram dropped from 84.4 percent with proper positioning to 66.3 percent with failed positioning.
With Senographe Pristina, we can now bring 3D technology to our patients. This technology, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis, delivers superior diagnostic accuracy at the same low dose as a 2D mammography exam, the lowest patient dose of all FDA-approved 3D mammography systems.
The technology uses a low-dose short X-ray “sweep” around the positioned breast with nine exposures acquired with a “step-and-shoot” method. This helps remove any movement of the x-ray tube, reducing blur and increasing image sharpness.
Minimizing the Pain
Our radiologists invested in the Senographe Pristina because we know the primary reason women dread and skip screening mammograms is pain. In one study, researchers found that 46 percent of women skipped their regular mammogram because the first one hurt too much. In another published study, researchers interviewed 2,600 women about their experience with a screening mammogram and found that 10-15 percent experienced “moderate to severe” levels of distress or pain.
But if women skip their screening mammogram, they could literally be putting their lives at risk. And that’s why we brought the Senographe Pristina to Winnsboro Louisiana – because we believe that a test that could save a woman’s life shouldn’t hurt.
“The new GE Pristina at Franklin Medical Center was extremely comfortable, it was also was much faster than the previous equipment.” Said Lisa Davis, “I loved it!”
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening mammography every two years for women ages 50 to 74, with the decision to begin screening earlier based on individual risk factors.
We invite you to visit our offices for a personal demonstration of the Senographe Pristina™.