Health Resources:

Breast Health Getting regular checkups and performing breast self-exams are two important ways to keep your breasts healthy.

Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women (other than skin cancer). The American Cancer Society reports the breast cancer death rate is declining, probably because of earlier detection and improved treatment. This short assessment will help you determine if you have major risk factors for breast cancer.

Seeing more than meets the eye is the goal of imaging services at Chesterfield General Hospital. Whether it’s an ultrasound, MRI or mammogram, taking a picture of what’s happening inside your body can help physicians reach the proper diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

With care and compassion, the medical staff of our imaging services offers a variety of services with these tools:

• Computerized tomography (CT) creates detailed images of your body’s internal organs using X-rays with computer technology. The doughnut-shaped scanner uses radiation to create cross-sectional images, or “slices,” that help physicians detect tumors, heart disease or internal injuries or bleeding. A CT scan may require that you not eat or drink if you have to drink a contrast liquid—which helps healthcare providers see body structures more clearly—or have a contrast dye injected before the test. The exam usually lasts less than an hour, including any preparations, though the actual scan may only last a minute or two.
   
• Radiography and fluoroscopy view bones and help physicians examine the chest. Using both radiography and fluoroscopy procedures allows physicians to confidently diagnose conditions in the chest, spine, bone, digestive tract, uterus and bladder. With the added benefit of fluoroscopy capability, physicians have the ability to study flow or motion in patients when necessary. Similar to an X-ray “movie,” fluoroscopy can include imaging of dynamic processes such as throat abnormalities.
   
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create cross-sectional images of your head, body, muscles and blood flow. Because an MRI provides a clear view of internal organs and tissues, it helps physicians diagnose injuries and other health conditions much faster than with other technologies. For patients who have pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators, a computed tomography (CT ) scan may be a safer imaging tool. (The devices may malfunction during an MRI scan).
   
• Mammography, a special X-ray of the breasts, can detect lumps and other forms of breast disease that may be too small to be felt even by an experienced examiner. Early detection affords the best opportunity for a cure.
  
  The American College of Radiology has awarded a three year term of accreditation in Mammography as a result of a recent survey. The accreditation is awarded to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment.
   
• Nuclear medicine uses tiny amounts of radioactive materials to perform heart studies and diagnose bone cancer, bone infections and stress fractures. The radioactive materials are introduced into the patient’s body by injection, swallowing or inhalation. Special cameras that work with computers detect the radioactive materials to provide sharp images of the body.
   
• Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to evaluate organs in the body and commonly to examine fetal development. Detailed images are returned in real time, making ultrasound particularly helpful for guiding minimally invasive procedures—such as needle biopsies—and for visualizing organ, blood vessel and tissue movement.

If you need a X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, MRI, nuclear medicine test or mammogram, you can feel confident in Chesterfield’s technology and the extensively trained team.

Early detection is key!

When it comes to disease, early diagnosis is key to effective treatment. If you need advanced imaging, you can get it close to home at Chesterfield General Hospital.