High-tech device

Breast cancer: Diagnosis in just five seconds

Senior physician Maria Miesbauer in front of the new high-tech device.(Bild: Ordensklinikum Linz)

The latest mammography system for breast examinations was presented in Valencia (Spain) at the end of September. It has been in use at the Sisters of Mercy Hospital in Linz since the beginning of the year - the first and only hospital in the whole of Austria to do so.

"The speed of the device is impressive and the image quality is excellent. It only takes five seconds to produce 3D images with the highest resolution," enthuses senior physician Maria Miesbauer about the first uses of the high-tech device. Compared to similar devices, the "Mammomat B.brilliant" is 35 percent faster. The new device should also make breast X-ray examinations much more pleasant for patients.

(Bild: Ordensklinikum Linz)

"We can detect abnormalities and microcalcifications in the breast tissue with a high degree of accuracy. High diagnostic reliability is essential in mammography," says the expert. Incidentally, breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in women throughout Austria: Statistically speaking, every 13th woman will develop breast cancer in the course of her life. More than five thousand women are diagnosed with the disease every year, which is why experts are calling for preventive screenings. In the early stages, there is still a good chance of recovery.