Hudson Valley Hospital opened a new mammography suite last month that intends to soothe patients with cotton robes, soft colors, local art and plush chairs. More importantly, the new suite has been equipped with digital technology to produce more accurate images much faster.

Women who go in for their annual mammogram to look for signs of cancer know well it’s an uncomfortable experience: Go in. Remove your shirt in a corner. After some pain, get your photo taken.

The hospital intends to create a more relaxing, spa-like environment with its natural wood floors, 100 percent cotton robes and soft background music. The suite will eventually feature paintings by local Peekskill artists. No more chrome; no more tile floors; no more cold chairs.
“We want to bring art into the healing process,” said Patricia Morrow, vice-president for marketing. “We want it to be bright, cheerful, upbeat, thought provoking. Sometimes patients need stimulation, not just relaxation.”

Hospital CEO John Federspiel said that the suite is the “forerunner” for the conversion of the entire hospital into a more natural environment.

The most crucial part of the visit – the exam – has also been modernized. The hospital installed digital machines to perform the mammograms, in addition to its film technology, thanks to a $500,000 grant secured by State Senator Vincent Leibell’s office.
The digital technology allows radiologists to manipulate the magnification, orientation, brightness and contrast of the breast tissue, meaning the doctor can better detect a mass that may be cancerous.

“Basically, digital mammography allows you to have a 100 percent quality picture each time,” said Maurice Poplausky, chairman of radiology at the hospital. “We can zoom in on an image and manipulate it to see the tissue better. This is useful because in the past, if an image came out too light or too dark, you could miss a micro-calcification or mass.”

The digital technology is particularly important for women younger than 50-years old, women with dense breast tissue, and women who are pre-menopausal or peri-menopausal (meaning they’ve had their period within a year of the mammogram).

For other women, there appears to be no difference between the digital or film mammogram, except that the digital image processes within seconds, as opposed to taking five minutes for film to develop.

The digital images will also not deteriorate, like film, over the years; are easily stored, and can be sent anywhere in the world instantly. The digital process also reduces the instances of having to retake images, reducing the patient’s exposure to radiation.

The hospital now hosts five mammography machines and averages 700 mammograms each month, an increase of nine percent from last year. The hospital boasts of being able to schedule appointments within a week.

“The new equipment and new suite will go a long way toward helping us reduce [fatalities from] breast cancer,” Federspiel said.

Both digital and film mammograms produce results that are about 70 percent accurate, and women are encouraged to self-examine their breasts for lumps monthly.
Bruce Apar contributed to this story.