Women’s Imaging Services
Led by board-certified, fellowship-trained women’s imaging specialist Heather Tauschek, M.D., Imaging Associates of Providence offers full service, state-of-the-art women’s imaging in our outpatient clinics.
Women’s Imaging is an emerging area of expertise using diagnostic imaging tools — from mammography to MRI scans — to care for health needs specific to women.
Digital Mammography
Imaging Associates offers both routine “screening” mammograms and more in-depth “diagnostic” mammograms. All mammography at Imaging Associates is digital, which gives you and your doctor important advantages including:
- Earlier detection – we can often identify masses before they’re large enough to be felt as a lump.
- Increased accuracy — manual image adjustments and a computer aided detection system help identify problem areas that previously may have been undetectable.
- Shorter appointments — There’s no waiting for films to develop.
Our 25 Minute Promise: With digital technology, convenient locations and easy parking, we’ll have you in and out of your screening mammography appointment in 25 minutes or less! For more, visit mammography.
Breast Ultrasound
Breast ultrasound is usually used to determine whether a lump is filled with fluid (a cyst) or if it is a solid (potentially cancerous) lump. Ultrasound offers additional information in selected situations and may be particularly valuable in younger women, and in women who are pregnant or lactating.
Ultrasound is painless and uses no x-rays. A small handheld unit called a transducer is gently passed back and forth over your skin. The sound waves create a picture of your internal tissues, shown on a TV screen. The picture is called a sonogram, or ultrasound scan. For more general information, visit ultrasound.
Breast Biopsies
Imaging Associates offers stereotactic and ultrasound-guided breast biopsies, which are quick, minimally invasive methods to obtain a definitive tissue diagnosis. These kinds of biopsies effectively replace surgical biopsy in many situations, with equivalent accuracy and at a lesser expense.
One of our diagnostic radiologists, who specializes in breast imaging, uses a thin, hollow needle – guided mammographically (x-ray) or by ultrasound – to extract a small tissue sample from the precise area of concern. The sample is then analyzed to determine whether it is malignant (cancerous) or benign (harmless). You may be relieved to know that for the majority of women who get a biopsy, the tissue is benign.
We currently offer stereotactic breast biopsies only at our Mat-Su Trunk Road location, an ACR-designated Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.
Bone Density Scans
Bone density tests (also known as “DEXA scans”) check for osteoporosis, test the strength of your bones and evaluate your risk for serious bone fractures. Osteoporosis is a disease that occurs when the bones become thin and weak; it begins after menopause in many women and often worsens after age 65.
At Imaging Associates, the scan involves just one pass of a low-dose x-ray that yields an image with higher resolution than many other techniques. You simply lie on a comfortable bed beneath the scanner and relax. The test takes about 20 minutes and is completely painless. We currently offer this procedure only at our Mat-Su Valley location. For more, visit bone density.
Pelvic Ultrasound
A pelvic ultrasound evaluates your uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Images may also include the bladder and kidneys. This is a painless exam to check for growths, lumps, fibroids, causes of vaginal bleeding or pelvic pain, and other problems.
The test starts with a transabdominal ultrasound, where a transducer is placed over your abdomen and gently moved over your skin. We usually follow this with transvaginal ultrasound, using a vaginal probe for an internal view of the area in question. For more general information, visit ultrasound.
Follicular Studies
Follicular studies are done using ultrasound technology. Imaging Associates works with you and your doctor, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife to help diagnose fertility issues, monitor your ovulation process and provide more information than a traditional pelvic exam.
Some exams require precise timing with various stages of your cycle. Imaging Associates offers a great deal of flexibility in scheduling — including same day appointments — that help make accurate timing easy.
Female Pelvic MRIs
Pelvic MRIs are an excellent problem-solving tool, often used as a follow up to an abnormality seen on an ultrasound. They’re useful in evaluating pelvic masses, whether uterine, cervical or ovarian.
Unlike CT scans, MRIs do not use x-rays. Instead, a strong magnetic field and radio waves produce clear, precise images of your tissues from all angles. Imaging Associates is home to Alaska’s most powerful MRI, and thus delivers the most accurate MRI images available. We also have a high-field short bore, ultra-short bore and open MRI options at our various locations. For more, visit MRI.
We Welcome Your Questions
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to ask! Questions about the results of your exam should be directed to your primary healthcare provider. For any other questions or concerns, please feel free to call us directly. (Find our numbers here.
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