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3D Mammography

nurse viewing a 3d mammography machineUF Health Imaging – Flagler Hospital is proud to offer 3D Mammograms. The Genius™ 3D Mammography exam is the most exciting advancement in mammography in over 30 years.

A Genius exam is an advanced technology in the fight against breast cancer that allows doctors to examine your breast tissue one layer at a time. The imaging system uses high-powered computing to convert digital breast images into a stack of very thin layers or “slices” for your radiologist to review. A good analogy for a Genius exam is thinking of the pages in a book. If you look down at the cover you cannot see all of the pages – but when you open it up, you can go through the entire book page-by-page to see everything between the covers. The Genius exam was designed with the same concept in mind. There’s no additional compression required with a Genius exam, and it only takes a few seconds longer for each view.

Doctors and scientists agree that early detection is the best defense against breast cancer. Successful treatment and survival rates for breast cancer patients are dramatically affected by early detection of breast cancers. If we find breast cancer early, before it has spread to lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is almost 100 percent. Until now, the best way to do that has been with digital mammography.

The Genius exam detects 41% more invasive breast cancers and reduces false positives by up to 40%. This means one simple thing: more accuracy. This advanced accuracy will reduce having to come back for a additional imaging and fewer unnecessary biopsies.

More Benefits:

  • A clearer look at breast tissue that provides a 3D view that is computer generated from 24 layered images of breast tissue at different depths
  • Enhanced ability to find small, early-stage breast cancers when they are much easier to successfully treat
  • Fewer false positives, fewer callbacks for additional imaging, and fewer unnecessary biopsies
  • Especially beneficial to women with dense breast tissue, which makes cancer more difficult to detect in a 2D mammogram.

While digital mammography is still one of the most advanced technologies available today, it is only a 2-dimensional picture of the breast. The breast is a 3-dimensional object composed of different structures, such as blood vessels, milk ducts, fat, and ligaments. All of these structures, which are located at different heights within the breast, can overlap and cause confusion when viewed as a 2-dimensional, flat image. This confusion of overlapping tissue is a leading reason why small breast cancers may be missed and normal tissue may appear abnormal, leading to unnecessary callbacks.

Patients will find the 3D mammogram experience to be similar to that of a 2D mammogram. The test takes about the same amount of time with just a few seconds of compression.

Insurance Status

3D mammograms are fully covered for Medicare patients. Coverage by other insurers may vary. For patients whose insurance reimburses only for the cost of a 2D mammogram, a nominal copay is charged.