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For Immediate Release
2/23/2006
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Northwest Hospital Center in Randallstown is now a
certified Softer Mammogram Provider, a distinction awarded only to an elite
group of healthcare facilities. The hospital is the only breast care
center in the area offering every woman a free MammoPad®,
a FDA-cleared foam cushion, which dramatically eases the discomfort many women
feel when they get a mammogram.
"The discomfort many women feel during mammography compression is widely
known to be a reason that some don't get regular screenings,” said Cristina Truica, M.D., a medical oncologist at the Herman
and Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital. In addition
to compression, the cold surfaces and hard edges of the mammography device make
the experience uncomfortable for some patients.
The MammoPad breast cushion answers these complaints by providing a soft,
warm cushion for the breast during mammography, allowing women to relax during
the exam and making it easier for technologists to get the best possible
image
The single-use, adhesive-backed foam cushion attaches to the
compression plates of the mammography device. A Stanford University breast
surgeon, who understood mammography discomfort from both a physician and
patient's point of view, developed the MammoPad.
The recyclable breast cushion is "invisible” to X-rays and does not interfere
with the image quality of the mammogram.
The American Cancer Society reports women can greatly reduce their risk of
death from breast cancer if they receive regular mammographic screens. For this
reason, both the society and the American College of Radiology recommend that
women 40 and older receive mammograms yearly.
Yet despite the urgency of this message, nearly 40 percent of American women
don't get regular recommended mammograms. Studies have shown mammography
pain is a major reason some women do not return for annual screening.
"Early detection of breast cancer can make the crucial difference between
life and death,” said Truica. "Screening mammography has been the key to the
unprecedented and drastic drop in the death rate from breast cancer from 1990 to
2000.”
For more information or to schedule a mammogram, call the Herman and Walter
Samuelson Breast Care Center at Northwest Hospital at 410-521-5913.
Northwest Hospital Center is a member of LifeBridge Health, a regional health
organization, which includes Sinai
Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, Jewish
Convalescent & Nursing Home, and related subsidiaries and
affiliates.
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