A Canadian health system is reviewing three years of mammograms after discovering a discrepancy in the type of display monitor being used to interpret breast images, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Central Health, a health system in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, first reported the problems earlier this week. It said it had discovered that some of the workstations being used for mammogram interpretation did not meet its technical standards.
The CBC article featured an interview with Central Health CEO Andrée Robichaud, who said that the period in question covered three years and some 3,000 patients. The problem was that some 3-megapixel monitors may have been used for mammography interpretation, while Health Canada and the Canadian Association of Radiologists recommend the use of 5-megapixel monitors in multiple-monitor workstations.
Central Health has six mammography workstations, each in a configuration of multiple 5-megapixel monitors. It's not clear why 3-megapixel monitors were used for some interpretations, although radiologists reading at home was one possibility raised in the article.
Central Health has hired an external radiologist to review all the images that were read on 3-megapixel monitors over a period that dates from November 2019 to August 19, 2022. The review is expected to be completed in September. A sample review by the radiologist found "two potential discrepancies" out of 329 mammograms.
