Peterson Regional Medical Center - Kerrville, Texas

With the recent installation of some very special equipment, the Peterson Regional Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) has become the first healthcare facility in the Hill Country to offer full-field digital mammography as part of its breast care services. The ACC provides outpatient services for the new Peterson Regional Medical Center and shares a 35-acre campus with the hospital, which opened this past April. 

"Digital technology gives us the potential for significant improvements in breast diagnostics", said Peterson Regional Medical Center CEO Patrick Murray, FACHE. "We are so pleased to offer Hill Country women this advanced level of mammography technology at our ambulatory care center."

One of the most advanced technologies available to detect breast cancer, full-field digital mammography uses a powerful computer to create high-quality images of the breast, allowing radiologists to magnify specific areas of the image and adjust the contrast so abnormalities are easier to see. Recent studies have indicated that digital mammography is better for detecting lesions in the breast, especially for women with dense breast tissue, women who are under 50 and women who are pre- and postmenopausal.

"Our radiologists can see dense tissue more clearly," said Robert Sanchez, director of imaging services at both the ACC and the medical center. This is especially important for younger, pre-menopausal women, he continued, because dense breast tissue tends to obscure calcifications and masses.

There are many other practical advantages to digital mammography, said Sanchez. First, the technology may mean fewer "false positives," which can result in repeat exams for women as well as increased anxiety. Second, it takes only 15-20 minutes to perform a digital scan, less than half the time of a traditional film study. Third, the new digital unit at the ACC also has automated computer-generated diagnosis, which further improves accuracy and sensitivity in picking up small abnormalities. In addition, patients report that the procedure is less painful because less compression is needed to achieve clear images.

"We are the only healthcare facility in the Hill Country to have an all-digital department," Sanchez indicated. In addition to mammography, Imaging Services at Peterson Regional Medical Center and the ACC offers digital technology in x-ray/fluoroscopy, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MR) and computerized tomography (CT).

Appointments for digital mammography can be made by calling 830-258-7650. For more information on other technologies, services and programs available at Peterson Regional Medical Center, please call 830-258-7628 or visit our Web site at www.petersonrmc.com.