COVINGTON, Ga. - Piedmont Newton Hospital, a 103-bed, acute-care, community hospital, has purchased a $120,000 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) breast coil made possible by generous donations from the community to the Piedmont Foundation. Using the new breast coil, radiologists at Piedmont Newton have completed the first MRI-guided breast biopsy, a procedure patients previously had to travel to Atlanta to receive.

“Performing MRI-guided breast biopsies at Piedmont Newton enhances the comprehensive services for breast care at our Women’s Diagnostic Center, closer to where our patients live,” Michelle Ross, M.D., breast radiologist at Piedmont Newton, said. “The procedure allows us to better examine, diagnose and stage breast cancer in a less invasive manner.”

MRI uses strong magnets and radio waves to create three-dimensional images of the body. Yet, each MRI scan is specialized to the specific area of the body being examined by a coil designed for that particular part of the body. The coil acts as an antenna for the radio waves transmitted through the body during a scan, concentrating the radio waves at the specific area of concern, and then transmitting the data back to the computer.

Breast MRI is used in addition to screening mammography or breast ultrasound and for women determined by their primary care physician or radiologist to be at extremely high risk for breast cancer or for those with breast implants. Breast MRI is also used to further examine abnormalities found on a mammogram or ultrasound, as well as to determine if a biopsy is needed of a suspect area. MRI-guided breast biopsy can also be used to identify and stage breast cancer after a diagnosis.

“Providing this service at Piedmont Newton keeps our patients in a more familiar setting which can ease anxiety about the procedure,” Ross said. “We are grateful to the community for their support. Through the donations received, more women are able to receive care closer to home.”

Through previous fundraising events such as the Auxiliary’s annual gala and golf tournament, the community has generously donated to support the hospital’s commitment to providing high-quality care close to home. This year, the Auxiliary is sponsoring a Concert & Hangar Party on Friday, April 26, to benefit the Piedmont Newton Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center’s Limb Salvage program.

For more information on the upcoming Concert & Hangar Party, visit give.piedmont.org/concert. For more information on the comprehensive breast health services offered at Piedmont Newton Hospital, visit www.piedmont.org.