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Patient Services > Women's Services > Diagnostic & Surgical

Digital Mammography - Hill Country Memorial Breast Center

Hill Country Memorial Hospital will offer digital mammography services beginning in August 2008.  The hospital’s two new Hologic Selenia units will offer diagnostic advantages unparalleled in the industry, including superior image quality and enhanced ease of use. The radiologists will be able to adjust brightness and contrast in the images, as well as zoom in on specific areas to help detect small calcifications, masses and other changes that may be signs of early cancer. This capability may eliminate some repeat views at the time of the original exam, but it will not eliminate the need for additional studies such as specialized mammography views, ultrasound or MRI when indicated.

From the patient’s point of view, this revolutionary imaging technology can reduce the time they spend in having a mammogram because there is no waiting for film to be developed. It should also reduce the need for repeat images due to over- or under-exposure. Although compression will still be used, there are some slight changes that should make the exam less uncomfortable.

For screening exams, a result letter will be mailed to the patient within three to 10 days unless waiting on outside comparison films. Because the images are digital, the radiologists will be able to view a diagnostic exam while the patient waits.  If further mammographic images are needed, they can be taken at that time.

For your convenience, the new digital units will be housed in the Brune Professional Building at 808 Reuben St. The location is easily accessible with close parking and a first-floor location near the main entrance. If you’d like to schedule a mammogram, call 830-990-6181 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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Breast ultrasound

Ultrasonography, used in conjunction with mammography, is the technique of using sound waves to create an image of part of the body without the use of radiation.

An ultrasound exam is a safe diagnostic procedure that uses very-high-frequency sound waves to produce an image of many of the internal structures of the body. Breast-specific imaging helps radiologists fully evaluate targeted areas of the breast.

Ultrasound can be a useful tool to assist radiologists during breast biopsies as well.

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Breast MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology uses a mix of physics, mathematics and high-performance computing techniques.

A patient lies on her stomach on a special table. The breast to be examined is suspended freely through an opening in a cushioned, wedge-shaped device called a dedicated breast coil. It contains signal transmitters and receivers for the radio frequencies used in MRI. Once the patient is comfortably positioned, the table is moved into a magnetic field created by a large magnet.

A super-computer reconstructs gathered information into 2D and 3D images that vividly represent conditions of health, disease or injury.

It is a noninvasive procedure that can determine what the inside of the breast looks like without having to do surgery or flatten or compress the breast.

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Stereotactic breast biopsy

A quicker, easier and less expensive way to do breast biopsies is giving women a welcome health care option at Hill Country Memorial Hospital.

We were the first hospital in the hill country to offer stereotactic biopsy, a revolutionary technique that uses three-dimensional images of the breast that surgeons use as a guide.

Instead of using a knife and a three- to four-inch incision, the surgeon uses a needle to extract appropriate tissue samples. Only a tiny nick in the skin is required, and no sutures are necessary. The patient often goes home with only a small bandage. The entire procedure can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes, often at one-third to one-half the cost of a traditional surgical biopsy.

Other benefits: It's less invasive. Patients can drive themselves to the hospital and they can drive themselves home. They don't need an IV started, and they don't have to stop eating for anesthesia purposes. It's a quicker, easier and less costly way to do breast biopsies for certain lesions.

While stereotactic breast biopsy is not appropriate for all lesions, it is worthy of discussion with your surgeon. For more information, you may contact:

> Gregory D. Andreassian, M.D.

> Jay S. Stauffer, M.D.

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Sentinel node biopsy

Traditionally, when breast cancer is present and testing the lymph nodes under the arms is indicated, all nodes are removed and examined for cancer cells.

A sentinel lymph node is the first node in the body to come into contact with the cancer cells as they leave the area of origination. In the sentinel node biopsy procedure, by using a tracer dye, particular nodes can be pinpointed, and only those few are removed, resulting in less trauma to the patient.

The sentinel node procedure also is utilized with melanoma patients, and It is used in a procedure called minimally invasive radioguided parathyroidectony (MIRP) in which a gamma probe is used to locate an abnormal parathyroid gland and allows for a small incision right over the gland.

This procedure is available at Hill Country Memorial Hospital, too. For more information, you may contact:

> Gregory D. Andreassian, M.D.

> Jay S. Stauffer, M.D.

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Cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic surgery procedures available at Hill Country Memorial Hospital include:

> Abdominoplasty
> Breast augmentation
> Breast reduction
> Breast implant exchange
> Blepharoplasty (eyelid)

Please contact one of the following physicians for more information:

> Ernest G. Layton, Jr., M.D. at 866-714-4900

> Michael L. Walker, M.D.