Current mammography investment in Turkey

Purpose: The objective is to document the number of mammography equipment andqualification instruments, to determine the quality of mammographic applications inorder to guide for mammography qualification and standardization in Turkey.Materials and Methods: All instutitions which have mammography equipmentregistered in Turkish Atomic Energy Agency and Provincial Directorate of Healthare asked to answer the questionnaire. The study is based on analysis of the answerssent by voluntary instutions.Results: The number of MG devices in Turkey was unknown. 5% of the womanpopulation of 40+ age was not able to benefit from the MG service on their provinces.Two hundred and seventy centers responded our survey. AEC was not used in 21%,spot graphy was not used in 34% and magnification graphy was not used in 43% ofthe devices. In 63% of them, marking mechanism was not used although available.MG films were given to 85% of the patients. Marking was not made in 16% of theMG films. Only small cassettes were used in 23% of the centers. The heat conditionswere not acceptable or unknown in 58%, and humidity conditions in %94 of theenvironments the films were kept. 25% of them were either exposed to or had thepossibility of being exposed to light and %15 to radiation. In 30% and 41% of thecenters, the film and processing solutions were bought without testing. In %40 of thecenters, MG quality assurance was not made and in %70 its records were not keptregularly. In 49% of the centers, thermometer, in 80%, phantom, in 93%, sensitometerand in 81%, dansitometer was not used. In %50 of the centers, the MG devices werenot maintained periodically. While double reading was constantly made in only 12%of the centers, BI-RADS usage rate was only 40%.Conclusion: It is understood that the basic problem is the quality of mammographicapplications. It is necessary to supervise and the credit the quality of mammographyequipment, to produce punishments for erroneous applications and increase thequality of mammography education in education centers and to support by continouseducation.