Into the future Although the center offers women almost immediate answers, it does not offer every service. In the event that a potentially tumorous region is identified, the patient would still have to travel to a hospital for biopsy and treatment. That could change, however, because the ultrasound examination room has been designed for easy conversion into an invasive diagnostic room where biopsies could be carried out, according to Mogel. This month, Mogel and his associates will begin to learn just how effective the center, and its digital x-ray mammography equipment, promise to be. This learning experience is neither the first nor the last step in the development of a mobile breast cancer center, according to Mogel.
Many questions remain about the imaging equipment, image handling, and telecommunications systems.
Digital mammography awaits FDA approval General Electric officials expect commercial deployment of a new digital x-ray mammographic device to happen later this year following Food and Drug Administration approval. According to Maj. A typical mammogram incorporates four images of 8 to 10 MB per image, resulting in 40-MB digital images for a complete file. According to Mogel, researchers are still discussing the appropriate resolution for a digital mammogram. In addition to reducing the patient's wait for an answer, GE representatives say that digital x-ray mammography offers several advantages compared with film systems.