Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital At Memorial Hermann, we are committed to providing quality breast health services, offering the most advanced and comprehensive screening and diagnostic services close to home. The Breast Care Center-Southeast offers a coordinated approach to breast health services for preventive care, early detection, accurate diagnosis, treatment and ongoing emotional support.
 |
In many centers, breast radiology is performed by general radiologists. Jibi Thomas, M.D., is now an affiliated member of our medical staff and serves as the dedicated breast radiologist for the Center. Dr. Thomas is fellowship trained in breast imaging.
Once a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, a specially trained registered nurse is available to explain treatments, help with details like medical records and appointment coordination, gather information for physicians and help the patient during the course of treatment. This Oncology Nurse Navigator provides a seamless transition from the Breast Care Center-Southeast to breast cancer treatment at Memorial Hermann Cancer Center-Southeast.
MQSA is administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ensure all women have access to quality mammography for the detection of breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages. When you see the MQSA certificate at the Breast Care Center-Southeast, it means we have undergone regular inspections to meet quality standards.
The ACR has accredited our Center for mammography.
Accreditation assures you that:
- Our Center has voluntarily gone through a rigorous review process to be sure it meets nationally accepted standards.
- Personnel are well qualified, through education and certification, to perform medical imaging, biopsies and advanced procedures such as breast MRI, and to accurately interpret the results.
- Our equipment is appropriate for the test or treatment and our Center meets or exceeds quality assurance and safety guidelines.
The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists, with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology, and the delivery of comprehensive healthcare services.
Benefits of digital mammography include:
- Sharper, faster, more accurate images
- Lower average radiation dose
- Physicians can enhance, magnify or optimize images for evaluation and interpretation
Early detection may offer the greatest opportunity for full recovery. The most effective ways to detect breast cancer at an early, curable stage are to have a clinical breast exam each year and an annual screening mammogram starting at age 40. A mammogram can identify breast lumps and abnormalities long before they can be felt. Women who have a family history, genetic tendency or past breast cancer should talk to their doctors about the need for earlier screenings.
1. They can save your life.
2. Don’t be afraid.
3. Get the best quality you can.
4. It is the most powerful breast cancer detection tool.
*Source: breastcancer.org
Our Center features advanced technology to aid in detection of breast conditions:
- Digital Mammography – may help detect breast cancer earlier. For women who are under 50, pre- or perimenopausal, or have very dense breast tissue, this new technology may be more effective. Digital mammography allows the breast radiologist to view images on a computer screen and enhance, magnify or optimize them for further evaluation. It also reduces the scan time.
- Breast Ultrasound – using high frequency sound waves. Breast ultrasound can determine whether a lesion is a solid tumor or a fluid-filled cyst. It is especially useful in evaluating suspicious areas in the denser breast tissue of younger women. Using the latest in ultrasound technology, breast radiologists can detect tumors as small as 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter.
- Breast Ultrasound-Guided Needle Biopsy – may be used to obtain tissue samples from areas where masses are seen in ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to guide the needle for increased precision in removing the sample.
- Stereotactic Biopsy – an innovative non-surgical biopsy method using a computer-guided needle to remove a breast tissue sample.
- Breast MRI – a noninvasive procedure most commonly used in high-risk women when the findings of a mammogram are inconclusive, or to determine the extent of newly diagnosed breast cancer.
- Breast Ductogram – can pinpoint defects in breast ducts. A contrast agent is introduced into the duct to expose possible defects when the breast is X-rayed.
- Fine-Needle Aspiration – used when an abnormality is found to be a cyst. Fluid is typically withdrawn from the mass using a needle and syringe. If clear fluid is removed and the mass completely disappears, no further treatment or evaluation is needed.
- Digital Bone Densitometry - a helpful tool in diagnosing osteoporosis. This procedure measures bone mineral density to identify bone strength and weakness.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Currently, there are about 2.5 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer. Breast cancer can be treated successfully when it’s detected early.
Screening mammograms do not require an order from your physician. Call today to schedule your mammogram – 281-929-6485. Same-day appointments and Saturday hours are often available.
For a physician referral, call 713-222-CARE (or toll free, 1-877-644-CARE) or use our online Physician Search tool.