The Importance of a Mammogram

The Importance of a Mammogram

Once a woman reaches age 40, the majority of medical institutions recommend a baseline mammogram and yearly mammograms, essentially forever. For many women, though, this is truly a no-brainer; it is something they do each year after they see the gynecologist or on a similar anniversary. And, it provides them with peace of mind.

The exception may be if you have symptoms or changes in your breasts, or if you have a family history of breast cancer. Your doctor may then recommend that you have a mammogram at an earlier age.

Best Screening Tool

The mammogram, an x-ray picture of the breast, remains the best screening tool to detect breast cancer. Screening mammograms check for masses, distortions, and calcifications in the breast. Mammograms can detect a cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Also, when caught early, localized cancers can be removed without requiring a mastectomy (breast removal).

Breast and Skin Cancers

Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among women of all races and origins.

Mammography does not replace the monthly breast self examination or the examination by a doctor. Physical examinations, though, typically find breast cancers when they are much larger than those detected by mammography. Like so much else, the technology has changed since the screening mammogram was introduced in the 1970s.

Today, modern-day mammography only involves a tiny amount of radiation — equal to the amount normally acquired from a year of background radiation.

Make it a Good Experience

Here are some tips to ensure your mammogram experience is a good one:

• Try not to have your mammogram the week before you get your period or during your period. Your breasts may be tender or swollen then.
• Bring your past mammogram films/results with you.
• If you’ve been to the same facility before, make sure your past results are available to whoever is reading the study.

• Once you find a facility in which you have confidence, try to go there every year, so that your mammograms can be compared from year to year.

I will be writing periodically about the various radiology issues.  Please submit questions below and let me know what you would like to discuss.

ABOUT DR. STEIN:

Tina R. Stein., MD, received her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and served a residency in Radiology and a fellowship in Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is board certified in Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. She has been on the Riddle Hospital staff since 1989.

That Bump on Your Big Toe

                                                   That Bump on Your Big Toe

As we age, our bodies change in many ways. Suddenly bumps we have had for many years begin to change, or hurt. For example, the bony lump on the outer side of your big toe, which presses against the inner side of your shoe, begins to hurt when you wear your favorite shoes. That bump is likely a common disorder, known as a bunion. For many people, a bunion is somewhat unsightly but nothing more. For others, though, it can also be very painful.

First Steps in Treatment

When a patient comes to our office with a bunion, we initially recommend a foot x-ray to confirm the bunion with its abnormal angle at the big toe. The first thing we do to help patients is to modify their shoes because the pain is often the result of the bunion making the foot wider than the shoe. We recommend a wider shoe or weather permitting, open for the toes. Proper shoes for treating bunions also have a built-in arch and minimal to no high heels. We may also recommend padding to cushion the bunion as well as orthotics, which are custom-made shoe inserts.

Pain Killers Help

Over-the-counter anti-inflammation medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can help to ease inflammation and pain caused by the bunion. A cold-pack application is also helpful. Some patients ice the bunion for 10 minutes each evening.

To reduce tension on the inner part of the joint of a bunion, we may also prescribe stretching exercises.

When These Efforts Fail

It is only when the non-surgical options do not help a patient’s pain that a surgical treatment is considered. Performed to both relieve pain and restore normal alignment to the big toe joint, this surgery is an outpatient procedure. The surgery usually involves shaving part of the bulging bone (the head of the metatarsal) and straightening the direction of the big toe. We may also tighten the ligaments on the outside of the toe and loosen the ligaments on the inside to correct the tension and keep the toe pointing in the proper direction. During recovery, the patient wears a soft surgical-type shoe.

ABOUT DR. AHMAD:

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery, Jamal Ahmad, M.D. received a medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed an orthopaedic surgical residency at the State University of New York and a fellowship in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is a member of several national societies including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.  Dr. Ahmad is an Orthopaedic Surgeon  on the medical staff at Riddle Hospital.