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Ask the Doctor
Carrie Morrison, MD, Director of Breast Imaging, St. Luke's Hospital
Q: What is SonoCiné and when should you consider it?
A: SonoCiné is an automated whole breast ultrasound exam that, when added to an annual mammogram, may find additional and smaller cancers than mammography alone. However, traditional mammography typically finds cancers small enough to be treated successfully.
Women with dense breasts are excellent candidates. If a mammogram shows a patient has dense breasts, she may want to consider the SonoCiné exam as well. Studies show that an additional ultrasound using the SonoCiné technology can find 40 to 100 percent more cancers than with mammography alone. It is also computer-guided, requires no breast compression or injections and is permanently recorded for physician review and follow-up.
Patients 40 years of age or older should schedule an annual screening mammogram, as recommended by the American Cancer Society. At that time, the patient can decide whether or not to have this additional examination. (It is not covered by insurance.) St. Luke's was recently chosen as the first facility in Missouri to offer SonoCiné Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound to patients.
St. Luke's was also the first facility in St. Louis and the second in the United States to be accredited in mammography by the American College of Radiology (ACR). St. Luke's has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by ACR for excellence in breast imaging.
SonoCiné is available exclusively at St. Luke's Women's Center at St. Luke's Hospital. For more information, call 314-205-6267.
More on St. Luke's Mammography Services
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