Mobile mammography

Of the 1700-plus systems sold last year in the U.S., Hall says that less than 50 were for mobile units, but that doesn't stop Hologic from offering a digital system designed for mobile transportation units, which help hospitals and facilities that maybe don't have the money or the need for a system full-time.


The mobile digital mammography van operated by Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, LA, for instance, performed 5,000 mammograms using Hologic's technology.

In years past, the crew would drive a small van to a remote site, take the analog equipment out of the van, and set it up in the building that would host the screening. With digital, there's no such portability.

Michael Dobbins, President of Mobile Conversions, Inc., which supplies four different mobile vans throughout the U.S. to universities and breast screening centers, saw the need to switch to digital two years ago, despite the challenges the mobile units faced.

"Digital is what is popular now and better diagnostic readings can be made by the doctors. Digital mammography equipment has much more stringent requirements than analog when it goes mobile," Dobbins says. "It has to be environmentally
maintained. The generator has to operate as you go down the road, air conditioning has to operate as you go down the road... more sensitive shock and vibration issues have to be figured out."

Their mobile mammography equipment visits more than 6,000 locations each year. "We're inspired by what we do," Dobbins says. "We are doing the public some good."

DMS Imaging, in partnership with rural hospitals throughout northeast North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota, is bringing full-field digital mammography to women across the region as well.

"The mission of DMS Imaging is to make a difference in the lives of our patients. We believe all people, no matter where you live, deserve access to cutting-edge health services," says Paul Wilson, CEO of DMS Health Group, the parent company of DMS Imaging. "This gives rural facilities the ability to provide its patients with the highest quality care, without having to invest in the purchase of capital equipment. They likely don't have the patient load to justify having the service available every day, but having the service one or two days a week means their patients don't have to travel to a facility that has the technology available. It's a win-win for the patient and the facility."

Money matters

On top of the different clinical capabilities of all this imaging equipment, the capital costs have to be taken into account. For instance, a new MRI will run around $2 million, a breast CT is $700,000, and a mammography system runs $100,000 for analog to around $300,000 for digital.

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