March 26, 2025A new mammography room has been established at Northern Hospital Epping.
Officially opening in November last year, the room is equipped with new technology to examine the breast for early detection of cancer and other breast diseases.
Key features of the room include a new contrast injector and biopsy equipment. The injector is used for contrast enhanced mammography, which helps demonstrate suspicious lesions within the breast, cancer extent, as well as response to treatment. The contrast is similar to that used for a CT scan and is given via a cannula in the arm. Two sets of data are collected during the injection using different energy x-rays, then combined to highlight the contrast.
“The new equipment also includes a stereotactic biopsy module. A suspicious lesion is sampled with the assistance of mammogram images to guide the position of a biopsy needle. This is called a core biopsy. When a vacuum assist biopsy is performed, multiple small samples can be collected with a single needle insertion,” said Anne Bright, Project Manager, Northern Imaging Victoria (NIV).
“The original room housing the mammography device was not large enough to perform stereotactic biopsy and performing contrast enhanced mammography was challenging with the tight space. The new room affords more space for the patient and staff, improving the patient experience and providing a safe workspace.”
The NIV team recently held a memorial adjacent to the mammography room to remember former Imaging Manager Sharon Grail, who passed away from breast cancer in March 2024. During the memorial event, a plaque was unveiled in honour of Sharon. This plaque hangs in the staff area of the Imaging Department, outside the new mammography room.
Sharon was an integral part of the Northern Health Imaging Breast Screening Team. She was a key driver in breast imaging and was a mentor to many of her colleagues. Her career progression led her to become Chief Radiographer at Northern Health before she transitioned into her final role as National Quality Manager for Healthcare Imaging Services, now known as Lumus.
“For those of us who worked with and learned from Sharon, we were blessed. Sharon was a wonderful colleague, mentor and friend to many of us,” said Sophie Dodson, NIV Operations Manager.
“Sharon was one of the key drivers in breast imaging at Northern Health and I was fortunate to learn mammography from Sharon. Not only did I learn the technical skills to become a mammographer, I also learnt so much about patient care, empathy and safe work practices. They were the cornerstone of Sharon’s career, whether in clinical or administrative roles.”
“Her passion for breast imaging and patient care led to a strong foundation in our breast imaging portfolio and built a great working relationship between the Northern Health breast team, both surgical and oncological, which is still strong today.”
