Mammograms at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife and Inuvik Regional Hospital will be temporarily suspended as equipment is upgraded.
Service gaps are expected to run from Feb. 7 to March 8 in Yellowknife and March 4 to April 5 in Inuvik, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) announced Feb. 6.
“During the implementation of the new mammography machines, residents can expect a delay to screening appointments; however, wait times will be monitored to ensure that screening mammography is coordinated and offered within the recommended follow-up time frames,” reads the notice. “The new mammography machines at both sites will have the capacity to offer digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT).
“DBT, also known as 3D mammography, is an advanced form of breast imaging. DBT is used in addition to conventional mammography or as a screening tool and removes summation artifacts (tissue overlap) and allows for better visualization of the breast tissue. Using low dose X-ray, the mammography unit rotates in an arc to capture multiple images of the breast tissue under one compression. The DBT exam can be completed in both directions — top to bottom, and side to side. The slices are then processed by a computer which reconstructs the data (slices) into a synthetic 2D image as well as a 3D reconstruction. Radiologists will review all images: synthetic 2D images, the DBT slices and the 3D reconstruction.”
While the new technology will be accessible through the machinery, the notice cautions NTHSSA currently does not have any guidelines or protocols on how to incorporate DBT and the service won’t be available when units come back online.
Anyone in need of diagnostic mammography imaging during the service gaps will be referred to one of three Alberta clinics: Canada Diagnostic Centres, Insight Medical Imaging: Lendrum Site, or MIC Medical Imaging Centre.
With budgets ever tight, the new machines are financed in part through fundraising, with the costs of the Yellowknife units covered by the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation and CIBC Run for Our Lives. NTHSSA is covering the costs of the Inuvik unit.
Even when the new mammography units are installed, NTHSSA says there will be a “slow start” to resuming services. At Stanton, appointments will be extended to an hour and only diagnostic services will be offered to Yellowknife residents. Others needing mammography services will be directed to Alberta. Appointment times at Inuvik Regional Hospital are also expected to be longer, though a specific time length has not been stated.
NTHSSA says it will have staff ready to cover mammography services at Stanton Hospital from March 14 to April 3 to make up any backlog.