Banner Del E. Webb welcomes Mobile Breast MRI unit
Lori Phipps, MRI technician, shows off the new mobile MRI unit at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center. The unit will be on campus three days a week – Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
SUN CITY WEST (Oct. 14, 2011) – Many women have felt that moment of panic when their doctor has informed them they have an irregular or inconclusive mammogram.
Rather than having to immediately prepare for the inevitability of a biopsy, women in the Northwest Valley can rely on new advanced technology at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center to get a closer look at the problem.
For three days every week, a new mobile breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit is now on campus of the nonprofit hospital located at 14502 W. Meeker Blvd. Sun City West, adding an additional layer of detection for patients. The unit is available for exams Fridays, Mondays and Tuesdays.
“This is the first breast-specific MRI in the Valley and is one of the many steps we are taking to become certified as a Breast Center of Excellence,” said Larry Bonno, director of Imaging.
MRI provides detailed pictures of the breast tissue using a magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer. This advanced technology might be recommended by a doctor after a mammogram if a patient is considered high risk for breast cancer, or if the mammogram shows what appears to be an abnormality.
A certified MRI technician will be in the mobile unit, a large trailer with plenty of space and privacy for patients, to conduct the exams. Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center utilized the new unit on its first patient Oct. 7. Women should ask their doctor if the MRI technology would be beneficial to them.
“This technology is not meant to replace the mammogram, but it provides an additional tool for physicians to diagnose their patients,” Bonno said. “Something abnormal found in a mammogram cannot always be thoroughly evaluated with that technology or with an ultrasound. This provides a more detailed image for examination.”
This breast-specific MRI unit joins the Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) unit to provide the latest state-of-the-art breast cancer detection technology in the Northwest Valley. BSGI uses a radioactive dye that is absorbed by cancer cells, but not normal cells in the breast providing another option in cancer detection for women whose mammograms are inconclusive, Banner Del E. Webb is also the only hospital in the Valley to utilize BSGI.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, a panel to discuss the latest in breast imaging technology is slated for 12-2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. Light refreshments will be provided. Call (602) 230-2273 to reserve a space.
About Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center
Banner Del E. Webb is a 404-bed, acute-care hospital offering orthopedic surgery, heart care, emergency care, general surgery, cancer care, obstetrics and gynecology, medical imaging, women’s diagnostic services, outpatient services, rehabilitation and behavioral care. Banner Del E. Webb is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 23 hospitals throughout the West.
Supporting Banner Del E. Webb’s mission of excellent patient care is Sun Health Foundation, which encourages charitable giving to enhance health care delivery. In 2010, Thomson Reuters named Banner Health one of the Top 10 Hospital Systems in the U.S. To learn more, visit: www.bannerhealth.com/webb.
