Kennewick General Hospital’s Mammography Center has a new 3D mammography system — the first of its kind in the Tri-Cities, the hospital announced Wednesday.

The technology improves chances of early detection and cuts down on the need for additional breast screenings, a hospital news release said.

“It’s only a matter of time before 3D mammography will become the standard of care for women in the Tri-Cities,” said Dr. Alan Ford, KGH radiologist, in the release.

“Patients come to us to screen against breast cancer. This technology helps radiologists identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue. This provides greater confidence in readings with a significant reduction in recall rates. It’s great for women and for the practice of preventative and diagnostic medicine,” Ford said.

Hologic, Inc., manufactured the new system, which is the first 3D mammography product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, the news release said.

“The screening experience for women will be similar to what they’ve experienced in the past,” the KGH release said, noting that “during the 3D part of the exam, an x-ray arm sweeps over the breast, taking multiple images in seconds. There’s no additional compression and the extra imaging only takes a few more seconds.”