Radiology has been a core service line at Spectrum Healthcare Partners since our founding in 1996. When your doctor orders an imaging exam to help diagnose a health condition, it’s likely that a Spectrum Healthcare Partners radiologist will be involved.
That’s because over 30 of Maine’s hospitals and imaging centers partner with Spectrum to provide radiology services. The reason for this is simple: no other practice can offer the depth and breadth of clinical expertise that we can. Spectrum’s radiology team includes board-certified experts, many with advanced subspecialty training in these areas:
- Computed tomography (CT)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Pediatric imaging
- Nuclear medicine
- Neuroradiology
- Musculoskeletal radiology
- Breast imaging
- Interventional radiology
Subspecialty training allows a physician to gain extensive knowledge about one category of patients, one type of injury, one type of disease, or one body system. For example, breast radiologists specialize in interpreting images of the breast in order to diagnose and help treat different medical conditions of the breast. They interpret mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs. In addition, they perform minimally invasive procedures that help to diagnose and treat breast cancer and also many benign conditions of the breast.
A dedicated breast radiologist has particular training and knowledge in advanced breast imaging and breast procedures. Beyond image interpretation and performing interventional procedures, these radiologists work as part of a multidisciplinary team with surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, and other specialists to optimize breast cancer care for patients. “By specializing in and dedicating our radiology practice to diseases of the breast, we can offer more sophisticated diagnosis and intervention, with the goal of achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients,” states Amy Harrow, MD. “One in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Our goal is to detect cancer when it is small so treatment may be less invasive, and ultimately decrease breast cancer morbidity and mortality.”
Radiologists look for the presence of disease in medical images to the best of their ability. Highly skilled radiologists have high accuracy rates with a great deal of evidence supporting the idea that subspecialization in radiology improves quality. At Spectrum, we are proud to provide specialized radiologists so we can continue to provide innovative, expert solutions to our community.
