Imagine staring at a face drawn with a flat charcoal pencil. Then imagine the same face drawn with a finely sharpened mechanical pencil.

There is a noticeable difference between the depth of detail in each. And this disparity is similar to that separating Auburn Memorial Hospital's new digital mammography facility from its previous film mammography technology.

Since opening three weeks ago, a $330,000 Hologic Selenia mammography unit has helped the hospital's radiology department spot potential signals of breast cancer development and other health concerns for women. The unit was purchased with a $500,000 state grant secured by state Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio. With it, Auburn Memorial Hospital has joined the 8 percent of breast imaging institutions in the country that offer digital mammography.

Like a film mammogram, the digital process requires the patient to compress her breast while a low-energy X-ray image is captured. The hospital's radiology department is planning to augment the apparatus with a pad that will decrease the discomfort of the compression.

The photography takes 120 seconds with the digital unit - significantly less time than the film technology. Once the hospital staff masters its use of the new unit, technical director of radiology Mike Heary predicts they will be able to take on twice as many patients for mammograms as they could with the previous equipment.

The digital images are instantly sent from the Essential Diagnostics Center at 615 N. Seward Ave. to the hospital's radiology unit, where they are interpreted on a computer monitor.

As opposed to the physical medium of film, which is subject to errors in a lengthy development process, digital mammography images can be modified, transmitted and stored with greater ease. Not only is their photographic resolution much finer, but technicians can zoom in on any cysts or calcifications for a closer look or adjust the image's contrast.

“The other day the radiologist was mentioning how he could spot calcifications he wouldn't have seen with the film,” Heary said.

The National Cancer Institute notes that studies suggest between 10 and 20 percent of breast cancers detected by self or physical examination are not visible on film mammograms.

Although film mammography is still available, digital mammography offers its advantages at a minimally higher price per screening that Heary pegs at about $3.

“If it was my wife or my mother, I would want a digital mammogram,” he said.

The digital mammography software also includes a Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) program that intuitively points out areas of potential concern in the images. Radiologists can use the alerts as guides to assess any risks the patient may face.

“It's like a second set of eyes,” said technician Joe Moran.

Heary advises women receive a baseline mammogram at 35, then again every 12 months from the age of 40. The National Cancer Institute has found that screenings decrease the rate of death from breast cancer for women older than 40 and particularly older women who face a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

The digital mammography is particularly beneficial to younger women, whose denser breasts are more difficult to see on film. Although studies have yet to show that digital mammography offers a significant diagnostic advantage to women older than 50, the service is nonetheless a more convenient method of guarding against the onset of breast cancer.

“It really brings the next level of health care to Auburn,” Moran said.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net

For your health

To schedule a digital mammogram, call 252-3013 any time between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.