Rush Breast Imaging Center Designated a “Center of Excellence”

The Breast Imaging Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has been designated a breast imaging center of excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The designation signifies that the Rush Breast Imaging Center meets the highest standards of the radiology profession. A center of excellence designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that have demonstrated excellence in breast imaging by achieving accreditation in mammography, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided biopsy, and stereotactic breast biopsy.

The ACR, a national membership organization serving radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, and medical physicists, is recognized as a leader in accreditation of medical imaging and radiation oncology.

Rush voluntarily underwent ACR’s rigorous review process and was certified as meeting nationally accepted standards.  “We are very proud of this designation,” said Peter Jokich, MD, director of the section of Breast Imaging at Rush.  “It recognizes the quality of every aspect of the center. Our personnel are deemed to be highly qualified to perform and interpret breast images. Plus, our equipment has been designated as having met or exceeded all quality assurance and safety guidelines.”

The Rush Breast Imaging Center has been successful at finding breast cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, and greatly exceeds all national recommendations in this regard, according to Jokich. Services include screening and diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and interventional breast procedures such as stereotactic and ultrasound-guided core biopsies, fine needle aspirations, ductograms and preoperative needle localizations.

“We have an excellent team of radiologists, technologists and support staff dedicated to providing women with highly specialized breast imaging services and advice in a comfortable setting designed around the needs of the patient,” said Jokich.

The majority of women come to the center for annual screening and diagnostic mammograms. Diagnostic mammograms are performed for a number of reasons, including new or enlarging lumps or thickenings, nipple discharge, nipple or skin changes, a recent abnormal screening mammogram, a history of breast cancer, breast implants, and other indications.

The center features high quality breast-imaging equipment, including spot digital capabilities. The digital capability is most frequently used for a procedure known as a needle/wire localization, a procedure that precisely pinpoints tissue for biopsy. For certain breast abnormalities, needle core biopsies are performed at the center by using either computer-guided stereotactic imaging equipment or ultrasound. For a cyst or small, solid nodule, fine needle aspiration is performed under ultrasound guidance.

The center's four radiology reading rooms feature mechanized film viewers to assist radiologists in their work. Mechanization allows many separate mammograms to be loaded at once, allowing the radiologist to compare a patient’s images taken at different times with the simple flip of a toggle switch.

Approximately 10,000 screening mammograms and 10,000 diagnostic mammograms are performed at Rush each year, together with 2,000 breast ultrasounds, MRI’s, and interventional procedures (needle biopsies).