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June 29, 2009

Contact Name:	Matt Smithmier
Contact Email:	matt.smithmier@libertyhospital.org
Contact Phone:	816-407-2317

Non-surgical breast biopsy offers new options for patients

LIBERTY, Mo. (June 29, 2009) — Liberty Hospital is now equipped with a stereotactic breast biopsy system that provides patients with a non-surgical alternative to a traditional biopsy following the results of an abnormal mammogram. The system will be operational beginning July 6.

The new system combines a traditional biopsy procedure with a special mammography machine that maps the exact location of the abnormality. Unlike a surgical biopsy, this outpatient procedure allows patients to immediately resume normal activities and requires only a small incision while minimizing discomfort.

“It’s an alternative to a surgical biopsy in the operating room,” said Patrick McGregor, MD, general surgeon at Liberty Hospital. “If it’s not breast cancer – which it’s not for about 80 percent of women – then no further procedure is needed.”

The one-hour procedure will be performed in the Breast Diagnostic Center by a member of Liberty Hospital’s experienced team of radiologists. The Center itself provides private dressing rooms and a designated waiting area for its patients separate from the hospital’s Radiology Department.

The new system will increase Liberty Hospital’s ability to accurately detect cancer in its early stages, when treatment is most effective. Already one of the most advanced facilities for digital mammography in the Kansas City area, the addition of the new stereotactic breast biopsy system enhances the hospital’s state-of-the-art digital mammography system and allows Liberty Hospital to better serve its patients and the community.

Liberty Hospital is a 250-bed regional medical center serving Clay and Platte counties as well as the northwest Missouri corridor. Founded in 1974, Liberty Hospital is a public, not-for-profit hospital, created for the benefit of its community as a political subdivision district hospital under Chapter 206 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. It is governed by a six-member, publicly elected board of trustees who serve six-year terms. More than 1,600 employees and 350 physicians deliver compassionate, exceptional care using the latest technology and a full range of services. For more information, visit www.libertyhospital.org or call 816-781-7200.

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2525 Glenn Hendren Drive | P.O. Box 1002 | Liberty, Missouri 64069-1002 | 816-781-7200