Health
- Last Updated on Thursday, 28 July 2016 20:17
Monongahela Valley Hospital’s HealthPLEX Imaging is the first facility in the region to offer Walk-in Weekday mammograms. A woman can walk into HealthPLEX Imaging Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to have a screening mammogram without an appointment or a prescription.
“Monongahela Valley Hospital and HealthPLEX Imaging are committed to women’s health,” said Mary Ann Konsugar, R.T., RDMS, HealthPLEX Imaging Manager. “After some women have their annual gynecological exams, they walk around with their mammogram prescriptions in their purses for months never finding the time for the screenings, while others may not even see their physicians annually to obtain a prescription. We want to make it as convenient as possible for women in the region to have their mammograms.”
At HealthPLEX Imaging, all women are offered the opportunity to have a 3-D mammogram. The 3-D mammogram, which is also known as digital breast tomosynthesis, captures a series of consecutive images from different angles across the arc of the breast to produce three-dimensional slice images. The slices enable radiologists to examine breast tissue one layer at a time instead of viewing all of the layers together as a flat image. An abnormality that is hidden behind tissue in one image may be visible in another image at a slightly different angle. Most insurance carriers now cover 3-D mammograms.
The American Cancer Society reports that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. It continues to rank second, after lung cancer, as a cause of cancer death in women in the United States, and it is a leading cause of premature death for women. However, improvements in early detection and treatment have led to a decline in breast cancer deaths.
HealthPLEX Imaging is located at WillowPointe Plaza, 800 Plaza Drive, Suite 170, in Belle Vernon. Free parking is available. For information call 724-379-1900.