Sonya Smyth, is a lead technician in Mercy Radiology with a wealth of knowledge and experience in mammography acquired over 30 years.
“If it’s your first time, you should know that it is a pretty straight forward procedure, and it’s probably not what you expect it to be. You've heard stories about how a painful mammograms can be, and I would say that everyone who has had a first mammogram at Mercy Radiology has gone away saying “that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be”, Sonya says.
If you are unsure of what happens, here’s a quick run-through:
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You need to book your appointment. An online booking facility is available at www.radiology.co.nz or you can call our Customer Care Centre to make a phone booking.
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When you present for your appointment, the mammographer will explain the procedure to you and ask you a few questions about your family history, personal breast history, if you are on HRT(Hormone Replacement Therapy), and other relevant information
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As for the actual mammogram, the mammographer will take 4 views of your breasts, 2 of each side, with images taken from the top and side.
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If you decide to have the tomosynthesis/3D mammography, the only difference you will notice is that we compress the breast a little bit longer while we do an additional scan of the breasts. This produces a more comprehensive set of images that our radiologists can scroll through to give them more information of your breast tissue.
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Once the mammogram is done, we ask you to wait for a few minutes while our radiologist views your images. Sometimes we may come back to you for additional views or ultrasound and finally you will receive the radiologist's report.
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Your doctor will receive the report and we will add you to our recall system to inform you when your next mammogram is due.
Here’s another resource that will give you more information on what to expect in a mammogram https://radiology.co.nz/services/breast-imaging
Watch video here