GE Healthcare won FDA clearance for the first mammography system, the Senographe Pristina Dueta, that lets women undergoing an exam to control how much the device compresses the breasts. As the woman is prepared for the exam, she is handed a small remote control that has a plus and minus buttons on it. The breast is then positioned by the technologist between the compression plates and from then on the patient has control in terms of how much compression she’s willing to take.
While compression is still necessary to achieve proper imaging, patients that have undergone examination using the Senographe Pristina Dueta report a more comfortable experience and the clinicians noted considerably more relaxed patients. Reduced stress in the examination room can help lead to better images, as the patient cooperates better and moves less. This can therefore lead to earlier detection of cancer, earlier treatment, and improved final outcomes.
GE Healthcare hopes that by improving the experience more women will be interested in regular mammography screenings, improving the overall rate of treatment and lowering the burden of breast cancer.
“This is a new age in breast imaging,” in a statement said Dr. Kathy Schilling, Medical Director of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Center and the radiologist who conducted a clinical review of the new device. “Patients who used the remote control said the exam was more comfortable and they were visibly more relaxed. Any breast radiologist knows that when patients are relaxed, we are able to get better images and better images lead to a more confident diagnosis. My hope is that increasing comfort during the exam and giving patients the option of working with the technologist to set their own compression will increase compliance, enable early detection and improve outcomes.”
Product page: Senographe Pristina…
Via: GE Healthcare…
