Ascot Radiology has established a world leading facility for breast imaging and diagnosis, with all the latest technology available, and a team of radiologists and technicians whose skills are second to none.
Mammography
Ascot Radiology has recently installed the latest Full Field Digital Mammography Equipment from GE Healthcare. This unit gives world leading image quality, a large step forward compared to conventional film mammography. It is very straightforward to use and patients find it more comfortable.
To perform a mammogram the breast is gently compressed between two paddles and an x-ray exposure is made. Typically a mammogram series comprises four images, two of each breast, but frequently extra views are taken. Mammograms are recommended as a screening procedure for breast cancer for women after the age of 40, every one to two years, depending on your age. They are also used to investigate breast lumps in both men and women.
Ultrasound
We have the latest Philips IU22 ultrasound machine at Ascot Radiology to give the best possible images, including 3D capability. Ultrasound is frequently used as an assistance to mammography, or to investigate beast lumps. For more information, please refer to the ultrasound section on this website.
MRI
MRI is the largest growth area in breast imaging. This is being used increasingly to investigate breast problems, but can also be used for cancer screening, and biopsy of breast lumps.
We have just installed the latest 3 Tesla Philips Achieva MRI scanner to give the best quality MRI Images available in New Zealand, and the world. The 3 Tesla system gives greater clarity, reduces imaging time, and enables Spectroscopy whereby the tissue can be characterised. For greater diagnostic accuracy, we have also installed a DynaCAD workstation. This provides Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD), which is a great help to the radiologists who must examine thousands of images in each study. This is unique in New Zealand.
To image the breasts using MRI, the patient lies on their tummy on the scanner table. Gadolinium contrast is almost always injected to help diagnostic accuracy. For more information on MRI, please refer to the MRI section on this website.
Biopsies
Once a breast problem has been detected, be it a lump, a mass seen only on imaging, or some unusual calcifications, then a biopsy (obtaining some tissue) is required. There are 3 options here and the choice of modality will depend on how best the lesion is seen.
Mammography Guidance: Using the Digital Mammography system, breast lesions can biopsied using Stereotactic Guidance. This is a clever system that uses computer guidance to guide the needle to the desired spot.
Ultrasound Guidance: Ultrasound can also be used to guide a needle to the desired location to take a biopsy. This is generally performed as a freehand technique as the progress of the needle can be viewed in real time.
MRI Guidance: Ascot Radiology has installed the first system for MR guided biopsies in New Zealand. This uses the DynaCAD workstation to accurately guide the needle to the desired spot. This is a great step forward, as for many years we have been able to see lesions on MRI scans but have been unable to accurately guide a needle to sample the lesion.
