Mammography & Diagnostic Services

Breast Services Overview. Breast Services is a vital source of screening and diagnostic technologies as well as supportive services. We offer a comprehensive array of breast health services including digital mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, on-site radiologists, computer assisted diagnosis and stereotactic biopsies. All of these services can be found in one convenient location at The Lacks Cancer Center. Digital Mammography services are also located at Saint Mary's Southwest in Byron Center and at the Advantage Health East Beltline office for your convenience.

Digital Mammography. Because mammography is still considered the gold standard for breast imaging tests, mammograms—along with self-breast exams and physician exams—are an essential part of maintaining healthy breasts, particularly for women age 40 and over, and those who have a significant family history of breast cancer. During a mammography, the breast is compressed for stabilization, to even out the tissue and increase picture quality. Then images of the breast are taken from every angle using low-dose X-rays based on American Cancer Society guidelines. After an initial mammogram, some women may have areas of concern that can't be diagnosed with only the information available from the screening mammogram. This does not necessarily point to a malignancy, however, in these cases, we would perform an additional diagnostic mammogram to rule out cancer.

The benefits of digital mammography include:

• A digital mammography exam usually takes less than half the time of traditional film-based exam, and there’s less of a chance you’ll be called back to retake your images.
• Your physician will gain viewing options never before possible with the unique ability to enhance certain areas to get a more precise picture of your condition.
• Your breast images can be zoomed in and out, and the contrast can be lightened or darkened. Also, through an inverting feature, black can reverse to white and white can change to black. This feature helps detect microcalcifications, which is like revealing a grain of salt in a ball of clay. All these image enhancements help improve diagnostic potential – and can be accomplished without your presence in the room.
• Digital images give better visibility of the breast, particularly near the skin line, chestwall and in women with dense breast tissue. Also, digital images are helpful for women with implants and for imaging patients with known abnormalities.
• Your physician can send your digital images anywhere in the world electronically to be viewed on a workstation by another physician.

Digital Mammography services are located at The Lacks Cancer Center, at Saint Mary's Southwest in Byron Center and at the Advantage Health East Beltline office for your convenience.

Breast Ultrasound. The breast ultrasound is used to evaluate breast abnormalities found on a mammogram or felt by the patient or the patient’s physician during a breast exam. The ultrasound is not used as a screening tool for breast cancer, but can determine if what is seen or felt is a solid mass or a fluid filled cyst.

Breast MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast — or breast MRI — is a breast-imaging technique that captures multiple cross-sectional pictures of your breast and combines them, using a computer, to generate detailed, 2-D and 3-D pictures. Breast MRI is performed when doctors need more information than a mammogram, ultrasound or clinical breast exam can provide.

Stereoactic Biopsy. A stereotactic biopsy is a test that uses a special computer to guide a needle to an abnormality seen on a mammogram. This biopsy is a minimally invasive, highly accurate way to obtain the tissue sample required for diagnosis. The procedure requires little recovery time and there is no significant scarring to the breast.

To schedule a Mammography or Biopsy, or to visit our Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic for expedited care, ask your primary care physician for a referral or make a self-referral by calling 1-877-LACKS-MI or 616-685-LACK(S).