St. Francis First in Georgia!

Center for Breast Health Announces Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI)

St. Francis is proud to become the first hospital in Georgia to offer Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) with the addition of the Dilon 6800 gamma camera to the hospital’s already wide array of services for women at the Elena Diaz-Verson Amos Center for Breast Health.

BSGI is the latest and most advanced tool aiding in the early diagnosis of breast disease and breast cancer. It is pain-free, effective and the next non-invasive step when mammography results are inconclusive. BSGI is especially useful for:

• Patients with difficult to diagnose breast abnormalities

• Patients which are technically difficult to image  (such as breast implants or extremely dense breast tissue)

• Patients unable to undergo breast MRI because of their prior health history (such as a pacemaker or other device that would prevent the use of MRI)

• High risk patients with a personal history of breast cancer and/or a strong family history of breast cancer

• Used as another diagnostic tool before further treatment plans are outlined

  “Women often become anxious when they receive news of a suspicious mammogram, and they want more information quickly. We can provide that with BSGI. This is a very sensitive test with fewer false alarms than MRI, and while it’s not a replacement for MRI, it is another excellent diagnostic tool,” explains Dr. Charles Scarborough, medical director of the center.  
 

BSGI is less expensive than MRI and more comfortable for most patients, and covered by most insurance including Medicare, according to Lynn Thompson, administrative director of the Center for Breast Health.

 “Our goal is to be able provide same-day test results,” says Thompson. “In this way, we hope to lessen the anxiety many women feel following a difficult to diagnose mammogram.”

BSGI works by using a small amount of a radiotracer agent that is absorbed by the body’s cells.

The center’s Director of Radiology Dr. Wade Wallace explains: “Because cancerous cells have higher metabolic activity, they absorb a greater amount of the agent, revealing themselves as hot spots.”

Screening with BSGI takes about 45-60 minutes, and unlike a mammogram, there is no compression of the breast.

The Center for Breast Health’s department of oncology and radiology offers expert physicians and staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques for breast cancer patients in the Columbus area. The center is located in the Rosemont Health Center at 3720 Woodruff Road. For more information, call 706.320-2761 or visit Dilon’s website at www.dilon.com.