Digital Mammography

Think how far medicine has come.

Digital mammography has been proven better than standard film mammography for detecting breast cancers in about 40 percent of women. Currently, only eight percent of breast imaging facilities use digital mammography and UI Hospitals and Clinics is one of them.

UI Hospitals and Clinics participated in the Digital Mammography Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) that found digital mammography performed significantly better than film mammography for screening women under age 50, pre- and peri-menopausal women, and women with dense breast tissue.

The study suggests that women in these groups are likely to benefit from earlier detection of breast cancer if they undergo digital mammography rather than film mammography.

Radiotherapy

The combination of extreme delivery accuracy and image-based three dimensional and intensity modulated planning set the stage for a promising new generation of cancer treatments.

Radiotherapy makes it possible to deliver one-time or multi-treatment high-dose radiation to targeted areas, often eliminating the need for traditional surgery or conventional radiation therapy.

With stereotactic radiosurgery, radiation treatment is delivered in tenths of a millimeter rather than the traditional three to five millimeters.

UI Hospitals and Clinics Radiation Oncology Department’s Center of Excellence in Image-Guided

Radiation Therapy is home to the physicians and technologies that offer these treatments .

Robotic Surgery

The daVinci® robotic surgery system allows surgeons to work on a smaller scale and more precisely than standard laparoscopic and traditional open surgeries. Pediatric surgeons at University of Iowa Children's Hospital perform robotic surgery in infants and neonates, recognizing the benefits of robotic surgery to shorten hospital stays. Heart surgeons at UI Heart and Vascular Center use the daVinci system instead of opening the chest cavity to perform delicate mitral valve repairs, speeding recovery time.

Urologic surgeons use the robotic system to remove a patient’s cancerous prostate. Gynecological surgeons use the daVinci to treat fibroid tumors.

Radiology

For decades, X-rays have been used as a diagnostic tool. Today, UI Hospitals and Clinics physicians use diagnostic imaging tools like computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quickly and accurately assess your condition.

The UI Hospitals and Clinics state-of-the-art MRI scanners enable physicians to view the soft tissues, organs, and vessels inside your body using non-invasive technology. With MRI, no radiation is involved.

High-speed, multislice CT scanners change the way UI physicians think about imaging, diagnosis, and treatment. Faster scans open new avenues with the potential to move beyond being primarily a diagnostic tool to an interventional system.