Kettering Breast Evaluation Centers purchased 14 digital breast tomosynthesis (3D) units by Pristina with special features designed to reduce anxiety and increase comfort.

Each new unit comes with a sensory suite that includes a 49-inch flat panel monitor. During their mammogram, patients can watch a series of images from nature and listen to relaxing ambient sounds. A scent diffuser infuses the air with a calming fragrance.

“Standing in an exam room with your breast in compression causes a great deal of anxiety in some women,” says Sally Grady, director of Kettering Breast Evaluation Centers. “Research shows that by stimulating two or more senses simultaneously, we can distract patients from the perceived discomfort, pain, and anxiety of a mammogram.”

The new units also allow women to use a remote-control device to adjust the degree of compression with guidance from the technologist, if they wish. Compression is key to a high-quality mammogram, and studies show that many women will apply more compression themselves than they would allow a technologist to apply.

Kettering Breast Evaluation Centers at Sycamore Medical Center, Lincoln Park, Dayton Medical Imaging, Fort Hamilton Hospital, Sugarcreek, and Huber Heights currently have this technology, and it is expected to be available at all locations by the end of 2019.

Do you need to schedule a mammogram? Click here or call 1-800-373-2160 to request an appointment.