Hoag Hospital Brings 3-D Mammography to Southern California

Digital tomosynthesis is a 3D imaging modality, which captures approximately 11 digital "projection" images from various angles over the breast, during a short scan, much like a CT scan. These images are then reconstructed into a series of high resolution 1mm slices that can be reviewed individually or played back in a cine loop. This provides a 3D view of the breast, potentially alleviating one of the major limitations of 2D mammography. In traditional mammography, only two 2D images of the whole breast are obtained, which can be harder to interpret due to tissue overlap. This limitation leads to the potential for tumors to be hidden by overlying normal breast tissue.

“In this FDA trial, our goal is to compare and contrast the value of digital tomosynthesis to that of standard 2D digital mammography,” says Gary Levine, M.D., director of breast imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center and lead clinical researcher. “We are investigating this new technology, as it may prove to be a valuable tool in the early diagnosis of breast disease.”

During the initial clinical trial period, Hoag Breast Care Center will only employ the digital tomosynthesis system to screen women and to image patients who have had suspicious lesions identified with 2D mammography and who are scheduled for biopsy. The tomosynthesis system is a 2D/3D unit, which means it can switch between digital two-dimensional mammogram mode and the three-dimensional digital tomosynthesis mode to compare results side-by-side. The data from this study will be compiled by Hologic, developer of the technology, and sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the submission for tomosynthesis approval.

For more information about the tomosynthesis clinical trial at Hoag, please call Hoag Breast Care Center at 949/764-5454 or click here.