Mammography and Women's Imaging Services - UCSF Department ...

Mammography and
Women’s Imaging Services
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
Information for Patients
Clinic locations:
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Women’s Imaging, 1600 Divisadero St., 2nd floor,
Room H2906, San Francisco, CA 94115
Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Women’s Health Center, Screening Mammography, 2356 Sutter St., 1st floor,
Room J146, San Francisco, CA 94115
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone numbers:
Radiology Central Scheduling: (415) 353-2573 (Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
To request a mammography screening appointment online, go to www.ucsfhealth.org/mammographyappts.
Billing and insurance: (415) 514-8888 (Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
Website: www.radiology.ucsf.edu
Maps and directions: www.ucsfhealth.org/pathway
Overview
Annual screening mammography for women is recommended starting at age 40. For high-risk women (those
with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, for example), screening may need to start earlier. At UCSF,
women from throughout the Bay Area benefit from the full range of breast imaging options — from standard to
the most advanced. Closely linked to the surgical and oncology breast cancer teams at UCSF Medical Center, one
of the nation’s top 10 hospitals, Women’s Imaging Services at UCSF offers many advantages.
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2.12-RAD-11-01000

Mammography and Women’s Imaging Services
Breast imaging services highlights
• Highly specialized team of expert physicians focused on
efficient and accurate breast cancer screening,
diagnosis, treatment and monitoring
• Thirty-year record as a world-renowned breast imaging
program continuing the model of renowned radiologist
Dr. Edward A. Sickles
• Speed of diagnosis is an essential, distinguishing
feature of Women’s Imaging Services at UCSF with
nearly all breast imaging exams reported within
24 hours of the test being performed
• UCSF performs 100 percent full-field digital
mammography, a technology that has been proven
to be of significant value in detecting additional cancers
that were missed using older technologies and uses
less radiation than older analog mammography
• UCSF was among the first to perform breast MRI and
now has more than 15 years of experience with this
sensitive imaging technique
• Our high-field strength 3.0T breast MR provides
superior image quality and a wider opening for
improved patient comfort
• Following the guidelines of the Mammography Quality
Standards Act, we are certified by the Food and Drug
Administration and accredited by the American College
of Radiology
Breast imaging services offered
Bone scanning with SPECT/CT
• A standard imaging test to determine if breast cancer
has spread to the bones
• UCSF bone scanning has several advantages:
- The exams use relatively low doses of radiation to
more accurately locate where the cancer is located
- The camera can acquire the image in about half the
time of cameras at other imaging centers
- UCSF's advanced software enables sharper
image quality
• The Breast Cancer Prevention Program provides access
to experts in the field of breast cancer prevention
including physicians, nurse practitioners, genetic
counselors and researchers
• Expert interpretation of mammograms provides fewer
false positives and a higher cancer detection rate
• Coordinated Diagnostic and Evaluation Program,
where patients with suspected breast cancer receive a
radiology and pathology assessment and are seen by
a top breast surgeon during a one-day coordinated
visit to UCSF
• UCSF was the first location in the United States to
offer breast MRI biopsy with the Sentinelle Vanguard
dedicated biopsy table, which can prevent a return visit
for the patient by allowing multi-site including bilateral
biopsies
• Using the world’s newest tools and methods, we can
take samples as small as a group of cells to perform
speedy and accurate breast biopsies when necessary
• All physicians are certified by the American Board of
Radiology
• UCSF is a recognized leader in multi-institutional clinical
breast cancer trials and breast imaging research
Breast MRI
• An advanced imaging technology using magnetic waves
in conjunction with a contrast (dye) injection to take
pictures of the breast
• Can show lesions not visible at mammography or
ultrasound
• The American Cancer Society recommends that certain
women with an especially high risk of developing breast
cancer have an MRI scan along with their yearly
mammogram

Breast ultrasound
• Use of sound waves to evaluate breast lumps in
conjunction with mammography
Digital diagnostic mammography
• A series of breast images to provide a more
comprehensive and detailed view of the breast as
prescribed and monitored by an interpreting radiologist
• Appropriate for women with a prior history of breast
cancer, a new breast symptom or abnormal screening
mammogram
Digital screening mammography
• Used for annual mammograms to detect any overall
change in the appearance of breast tissue
• Appropriate as an annual check-up for women without
breast symptoms
• Screening mammography is an important tool for the
early detection of breast cancer
Lymphoscintigraphy with SPECT/CT
• An imaging exam that uses a small amount of
radioactive liquid to trace a path from the breast to the
lymph nodes in the armpit
• Allows the breast surgeon to perform a precise
extraction of the lymph nodes for evaluation of
possible disease
MRI-guided core biopsy
• An advanced imaging technology using MRI to guide
the radiologist in obtaining a small tissue sample for
evaluation of possible disease
PET/CT imaging
• An advanced technique that combines functional
imaging and anatomic computed tomographic (CT)
evaluation of the breast tissue, lymph nodes and solid
organs to accurately identify sites of disease
• UCSF has a very high volume of breast imaging
procedures with PET/CT compared to most imaging
centers
• Unlike many imaging centers, UCSF routinely performs
a diagnostic-quality whole body CT examination with
contrast in conjunction with the PET imaging
Stereotactic-guided core breast biopsy
• Mammography and a computer-targeted guidance
system to help the radiologist obtain a small tissue
sampling for evaluation of possible disease
Ultrasound-guided breast cyst aspiration
• Use of ultrasound technology to guide the radiologist in
removing fluid from a breast cyst
Ultrasound-guided breast core biopsy and fine
needle aspiration
• Technology used to guide the radiologist in obtaining a
small tissue sampling for evaluation of possible disease
Wall motion study
• A procedure (also called ERNA or MUGA) that is
typically performed on patients with breast cancer to
monitor whether certain high-dose chemotherapy
regimens cause toxicity to the heart
Wire localization procedure
• Mammography ultrasound or MRI-guided pre-surgical
procedure to mark the area of concern for the
breast surgeon
Billing and insurance
We contract with most major health insurance companies. Many insurance plans (including PPOs) require prior
authorization for imaging services. We will be happy to assist you with any questions regarding authorization, price
quotes, procedure codes, statements, or billing. Please call (415) 514-8888.