PENSACOLA, FL - Sacred Heart Hospital recently installed the regions only dedicated breast M-R-I system.

In tonight's Buddy Check Three, Channel Three's Kathryn Daniel takes a look into the newest breast cancer detecting technology.

Technologist Catherine Goddette works at the Ann L. Baroco Center.

Catherine Goddette/Sacred Heart Hospital; "I've been in the breast medical field for twenty five years, and I've seen a huge increase in awareness about women's health, especially breast health in the last decade."

For the last two months -- she's performed breast M-R-I's with this state of the art sentinel table.

Cathering Goddette; "The patient is positioned this way, prone with face down, her breasts go in here they are right up against the coils."

The exam takes twenty minutes -- and Goddette says it shows some cancers that conventional mammograms and sonograms cannot.

Radiologist Doctor Donald Farmer says breast M-R-I is not a screening tool -- it's designed for use only on women who have special health situations.

Dr. Donald Farmer/Pensacola Radiology Consultants; "Those patients who have Breast Cancer, those patients that have family history, patients who have positive genetic profiles, BRAC 1 or 2. Those we offer a modality that goes above and beyond."

If the breast M-R-I shows a lesion -- doctors are able to use it for further diagnositic studies.

Catherine Goddette; "Usually we'll take you back for a second look ultra sound, now that we know that there's a lesion on your MRI we'll go back and we'll look in exactly that area with an ultra sound to see if we can identify it. If it is identified that way, then we would do an ultra sound biopsy. If not, we are capable of doing MRI biospy here and that's very important."

State of the art technology -- and that excites and inspires Goddette as she works with patients and families.

Catherine Goddette; "One in eight of us get Breast Cancer and it's, we need more attention. It's a very treatable disease, but it needs to be caught early and this is another tool to do that."Buddy Check 3