Frequently Asked Questions

MBI is 100% specialized in providing state of the art breast imaging and related health services for our patients. Unlike other centers, that provide x-rays, CT scans and other tests for a broad range of patients with an equally wide variety of health concerns. We provide our patients with the knowledge and expertise acquired from our decades long experience with breast imaging. 

Refrain from applying deodorant, talcum powder, or lotion from your waist up on the day of your exam, as the residues that cling to skin from these products could interfere with the interpretation of your mammogram.  

If possible, bring your prior mammogram results, which will enable our radiologist to review them at the time of your scheduled exam. 

Notify our scheduler or technologists if you think you might be pregnant or if you have breast implants.  

Anytime of the month is okay, however, if you often experience breast tenderness during your period, consider scheduling your mammogram in the two weeks following the last day of your menstrual cycle. 

Our technologists are committed to making your experience during your mammogram as comfortable as possible.  During the screening, your technician will assist you in placing each breast, one after the other, on a flat plate on the mammography machine. This plate will acquire the image while a paddle component moves to compress your breast tissue. Firm compression is required to spread out the breast tissue to capture a high-quality image.  With the goal of image clarity, you will be asked to hold your breath, for each position change, during your exam. A screening mammogram takes about 15 minutes. A diagnostic mammogram can take 20 to 30 minutes, as more images must be taken. Most patients report that although they feel the compression, that it does not hurt. Schedule your screen for the two weeks after the last day of your period if you tend to experience cycle related breast tenderness. 

Mammography uses ionizing radiation as do X-Rays, CT scans, etc.  During your mammogram you will receive a radiation dose like what you’d receive during a chest X-ray, or about 1/20th of what you’d receive during a CT scan.

It is important to tell the scheduler when you are making your appointment that you have breast implants. Our technologists are very experienced in performing mammograms on women who have breast implants.  Because implants can hide some breast tissue, additional images will be taken to make sure that as much breast tissue as possible can be seen on the mammogram.

Call the office anytime, or take Dr. Forsberg’s business card from the reception counter and call him directly.

Usually completed within 20 minutes, a patient first lies down on an exam table with arms intermittently raised back above their head. A water-based gel is applied to each breast, to eliminate potential air pockets to ensure secure contact with the transducing wand and the patient’s skin. The ultrasound technologist employs the transducer to collect images of the interior structure of each breast by rolling it across the skin surface in a precise pattern. After, the radiologist reviews and interprets the results.

We will work with you and your health insurance company directly, always including you in the cost/benefit analysis of any procedures we undertake or might recommend.

If you do not have health insurance, we will work with you directly so that you can get the care you need.