1005 West Walnut Ave., Suite 105
Yakima, WA 98902
509.454.6130
Experience, Compassion, Excellence
Yakima Regional Breast Health Center strives to provide the best quality care to all patients. With over 25 years of combined experience, our mammographers have a gentle touch, and their goal is to create the most comfortable experience possible. While visiting the Breast Health Center, you will have the same tech for all procedures. The Breast Health Center has recently acquired a brand new mammography unit, the GE Diamond. The Diamond is the newest unit in Yakima, and provides the latest in high quality imaging.
Services Offered
The Yakima Regional Breast Health Center offers several procedures, including:
- Screening Mammograms
- Diagnostic Mammograms
- Breast Ultrasound
- Ductograms
- Cyst Aspirations
- Needle Localizations
- Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsies
Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsies
An Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsy allows doctors to test an abnormal breast lesion using a minimally invasive procedure. An Ultrasound machine is used to find the location of the lesion and then guides a hollow needle to the appropriate area. The needle then extracts breast tissue for testing. In previous procedures, the breast tissue had to be surgically removed.
Not only are Ultrasound Guided Breast Biopsies less invasive, they are also less expensive and take less time. The procedure is usually done within 15 minutes, and patients have their results within a day or two.
This new procedure can also benefit doctors. Even if cancer is confirmed, many doctors prefer their patient undergoes an Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsy. This procedure can determine the aggressiveness of the cancer so that doctors have a better idea of what to expect during surgery. This means that doctors can better prepare the patient and their family for the expected outcomes of surgery.
Clip Placement
Patients diagnosed with breast cancer who will be having chemotherapy before their actual breast surgery are good candidates for clip placement, which can be done during an Ultrasound Guided Core Biopsy. During clip placement, a small titanium clip is placed in the center of the breast lesion.
Clip placement is important because it can help the surgeon identify the placement of the cancerous lesion during surgery. Chemotherapy is often done before surgery because it can shrink the cancer to a more manageable size before surgery is performed. Without clip placement, it can be difficult for surgeons to find the cancerous lesion after chemotherapy is performed because, ideally, the lesion is much smaller than it originally was. The clip serves as a kind of “target” for surgeons, and can be seen during mammograms, ultrasounds and breast MRIs.
On the Day of Your Exam
Please arrive 10 minutes early to allow time for paperwork. Please bring insurance information and photo ID.
Please wear a two-piece outfit, and do not use perfume, powder, cream or deodorant on the breast or underarm area. These products can interfere with the effectiveness of the machine.
For a screening exam or breast ultrasound, please allow 30 minutes. A diagnostic exam will take an hour or more.
We will bill insurance or Medicare for all exams. Please be aware that you will receive a separate bill from Yakima Valley Radiology for the Radiologist reading fee.