Breast Clinic
The General Clinic Euromedica Mitera Crete, with a view to meeting the medical needs of every woman and giving special attention to issues related to breast diseases, proceeded to the creation of a specialized Breast Clinic. The clinic provides excellent personalized care and comprehensive services of prevention, diagnosis and invasive breast procedures.
In the breast clinic, a specialized doctor performs a full digital breast examination, high-resolution ultrasound, elastography, breast MRI, biopsies of breast lesions using ultrasound, biopsy of breast lesions with a robotic system in the breast screening machine without surgery and removal of breast lesions with a vacuum system also without surgery. The clinic is primarily aimed at women aged 30 years and over, as part of preventive examinations, women who need further investigation of findings, women with breast-related symptoms, women with a recent diagnosis of cancer or who are undergoing treatment, and in general, all women who want to be informed about breast cancer prevention.
The clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art and high-definition GE Healthcare equipment, offering excellent results with the lowest possible radiation dose. In particular, it has the modern Senographe Pristina 3D digital breast screening machine which makes mammography less painful, the Pristina Serena robotic stereotactic biopsy system, which allows the identification of lesions that are only identified on the breast screening machine, and the LOGIQ Portal ultrasound scanner, which gives excellent resolution for the safe characterization of lesions and the performance of invasive procedures.
The head of the Breast Clinic is Aris Vassilogiannakis, an interventional breast radiologist with specialization in breast imaging and interventional breast surgery at Kings College Hospital in London and extensive experience in the field he practices exclusively, performing thousands of diagnostic tests per year and hundreds of interventional procedures.
Services
Digital Mammography
Digital Mammography is a breast X-ray performed on a breast screening machine and is currently the most important screening test for breast cancer. It ensures high resolution, excellent imaging and greater accuracy of diagnosis, while the radiation is minimal. With digital mammography it is possible to detect tumours of a few millimetres in size, abnormalities that cannot be found by palpation or ultrasound. The total examination lasts about 20 minutes.
Mammography in breast cancer prevention is of major importance. Mammography should be introduced into a woman’s life from the age of 40, unless there is a family history that suggests that screening should begin much earlier. From the age of 40 onwards, mammography should be done once a year and sometimes more frequently, a decision to be taken by the doctor, depending on the findings and the condition of the breast.
Stereotactic Biopsy
Stereotactic breast biopsy with aspiration (Mammotome) is the most modern method of biopsy without the need for surgery. This new method is performed with the help of a digital breast screening machine, with the patient in either a sitting or supine position. An X-ray will be used to locate the site of the biopsy with millimetre precision. To obtain tissue from the breast, local anaesthesia is used and a special needle and aspiration machine is used which collects tissue blocks which are x-rayed to confirm that the correct material has been obtained. The whole procedure is computer-aided and the latest in automated robotic technology, so there is no margin for error, and crucially the patient is in no pain and can return home or to work immediately.
Magnetic Mammography
MRI mammography is the newest imaging test for the diagnosis of breast diseases. It is distinguished by its high sensitivity in detecting invasive carcinoma. MRI mammography should be performed between the 7th and 13th day of the menstrual cycle in pre-menopausal women, in order to avoid diagnostic errors due to the effect of cycle hormones on the breasts. Similarly, women who are menopausal and on hormone replacement therapy are best to discontinue it for 6-8 weeks before the test.
An important advantage of MRI is the non-use of ionizing radiation and the extremely high sensitivity in the detection of cancer, i.e. if there is cancer, the probability of detecting it exceeds 94%. Also, the test is not affected by breast density.
Ultrasound-guided invasive procedures such as trucut biopsies and guide wire insertion.
With this method, the physician is guided by ultrasound to take a sample of the lesion under local anesthesia, allowing complete and safe characterization of the lesion.
In the same way, a wire is placed to guide the operator in non-palpable lesions.
For more information about the clinic you can contact us daily from 9:00 – 17:00 at 2810 396716 – 17.