Matakina and PenRad Sign Letter of Intent to Display Volpara™ Volumetric Breast Density Results on Mammography Review Station

For Use with Digital Mammography, Volpara is Designed to Assist Radiologists by Objectively and Automatically Assessing a Women's Breast Tissue Density

LAS VEGAS, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Matakina International, Limited of New Zealand and PenRad Technologies, Inc., a leader in medical image and information management, today announced that the companies have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to use the PenRad Mammography Information System (MIS) to display the Volpara™ breast imaging software. The announcement was made from the National Consortium of Breast Center's (NCBC) 21st Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference.

Offering radiologists a reliable and cost-effective tool to automatically generate objective volumetric breast density values, the FDA-cleared Volpara breast imaging software computes volumetric breast tissue density from digital screening mammograms. Volpara software assists radiologists by providing objective, automatic and robust measurement of volumetric breast tissue density and is currently available for Hologic and GE digital mammography systems with validation of integration with other systems underway.

source: PR Newswire

New Technologies Open the Door for Low Dose Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) / Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI)

LAS VEGAS, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by Craig Thiessen, M.D., Director of Radiology for West Houston Radiology L.L.P. and North Cypress Medical Center in Houston, presented this week at the National Consortium of Breast Centers Annual Meeting, found the improved photon sensitivity of new detector technologies such as PSPMTs and CZT should be capable of reducing the radiation dose patient receive from BSGI/MBI studies by 75%. However, low dose imaging is currently an off-label use of the radiopharmaceutical, and there are several prospective patient studies underway to validate the clinical feasibility of low dose imaging.

BSGI/MBI is a molecular imaging tool for detecting early stage breast cancer, particularly for women who are at increased risk for the disease or have dense breast tissue. BSGI/MBI utilizes a radiopharmaceutical to visualize metabolic activity, revealing highly active areas that may be indicative of disease. A primary benefit of BSGI/MBI is that the exam provides a physiological map complementary to the anatomical map produced by mammography, and its ability to detect cancer is not affected by dense breast tissue as mammograms often are. It is also especially useful when mammographic or ultrasonic imaging studies are normal or discordant in the presence of clinical signs and symptoms.

Dr. Thiessen, a nuclear medicine specialist and breast imager, said that "BSGI/MBI- as with PET imaging, shows that molecular imaging is more advantageous in conjunction with standard anatomical evaluation of the body, and specifically the breast. Mammography, ultrasound and MRI look at various structures and patterns, whereas BSGI/MBI looks at the breast on a cellular level to help determine the presence or absence of disease."

source: Dilon

For Use with Digital Mammography, Volpara is Designed to Assist Radiologists by Objectively and Automatically Assessing a Women's Breast Tissue Density

LAS VEGAS, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Matakina International, Limited of New Zealand and PenRad Technologies, Inc., a leader in medical image and information management, today announced that the companies have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to use the PenRad Mammography Information System (MIS) to display the Volpara™ breast imaging software. The announcement was made from the National Consortium of Breast Center's (NCBC) 21st Annual National Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference.

Offering radiologists a reliable and cost-effective tool to automatically generate objective volumetric breast density values, the FDA-cleared Volpara breast imaging software computes volumetric breast tissue density from digital screening mammograms. Volpara software assists radiologists by providing objective, automatic and robust measurement of volumetric breast tissue density and is currently available for Hologic and GE digital mammography systems with validation of integration with other systems underway.

source: PR Newswire

Naviscan Announces European Launch of Positron Emission Mammography

VIENNA, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Naviscan, Inc., announces the European launch of the Naviscan Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanner at two prestigious radiology conferences in Vienna. On March 3rd, at the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) Annual Scientific Meeting, a podium presentation will focus on recently published PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) data demonstrating PEM's ability to reduce unnecessary biopsies by providing superior specificity, the ability to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Simultaneously at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) conference, March 3 - 7, a poster will be presented featuring new clinical data on the role of PEM for assessment of axillary lymph node (ALN) status in patients with breast cancer.

PEM scanners are high-resolution breast PET systems (also referred to as 3-D Molecular Breast Imagers or Tomographic MBI) that can show the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion. This information is critical in determining whether a lesion is malignant and influences the course of treatment. PEM scanners, which are about the size of an ultrasound system, are manufactured by Naviscan, Inc. and have been commercially available since 2007.

The poster will highlight new clinical data from researchers at the University of Chicago on the role of PEM for assessment of axillary lymph node status in patients with breast cancer. Current morphology-based tools for ALN staging include clinical examination, axillary ultrasound and breast MRI, but none are accurate enough to replace the need for pathologic evaluation of the axillary nodes.

source: Naviscan

SuperSonic Imagine Reports Validation of Clinical Benefits of ShearWave™ Elastography

March 5th, 2011 (Aix-en-Provence, France). SuperSonic Imagine presented yesterday the validation of a world wide multicentre study, based on European recruitment, confirming the benefit of ShearWave Elastography when added to ultrasound for improved lesion classification.

Launched by SuperSonic Imagine in June 2008, the global, multi-centre study was conducted across 16 American and European sites involving 1,800 patients with breast lesions. The first major result of this study demonstrated that ShearWave Elastography is reproducible both quantitatively and qualitatively.

This reproducible technology provides strong assurance of precise tissue evaluation during diagnosis and is expected to be also useful in follow-up.The second important outcome is a model based on 939 lesions, which showed that ShearWave Elastography increases the performance of ultrasound breast cancer diagnosis.The addition of ShearWave Elastography features, such as maximum elasticity (stiffness) or heterogeneity (uniformity) of a lesion, to B-mode ultrasound, would permit an improvement in the BI-RADS® classification accuracy, standardization tool for breast lesion classificationfrom the American College of Radiology) improving breast diagnosis.

source: Supersonic Imagine

Naviscan Announces European Launch of Positron Emission Mammography

European Launch Marked By Presentations of Significant New Clinical Data Demonstrating the Value of PEM in Improving Treatment Decisions for Breast Cancer

VIENNA, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Naviscan, Inc., announces the European launch of the Naviscan Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanner at two prestigious radiology conferences in Vienna. On March 3rd, at the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) Annual Scientific Meeting, a podium presentation will focus on recently published PEM (Positron Emission Mammography) data demonstrating PEM's ability to reduce unnecessary biopsies by providing superior specificity, the ability to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Simultaneously at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) conference, March 3 - 7, a poster will be presented featuring new clinical data on the role of PEM for assessment of axillary lymph node (ALN) status in patients with breast cancer.

PEM scanners are high-resolution breast PET systems (also referred to as 3-D Molecular Breast Imagers or Tomographic MBI) that can show the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion. This information is critical in determining whether a lesion is malignant and influences the course of treatment. PEM scanners, which are about the size of an ultrasound system, are manufactured by Naviscan, Inc. and have been commercially available since 2007.

source: Naviscan

Comprehensive Guide Offers Multiple Radiologic Modalities in Breast Imaging

(openPR) - New York/Stuttgart – Recently published by Thieme, Diagnosis of Breast Diseases: Integrating the Findings of Clinical Presentation, Mammography, and Ultrasoundoffers key information on the diagnosis of breast diseases using the clinical examination and various radiological modalities. With more than 1,500 radiographs, ultrasound images, and mammograms, this lavishly illustrated atlas offers pre-operative considerations as well as peri- and post-operative management advice.

“[This book is] focused mainly on difficult cases illustrating the diagnostic hurdles and forensic pitfalls that are encountered in breast diagnosis.” says Dr. Volker Barth, MD, Institute for Breast Diagnosis, Esslingen, Germany.

This highly visual guide offers thorough evaluation of the various methods for early detection and accurate diagnosis, including analog and digital mammography, ultrasound, MR imaging, PET/CT, and interventional procedures – all within the setting of the clinical situation. The authors discuss advantages and drawbacks of each procedure in different scenarios. Additionally, this concise resource contains special sections on breast cancer in men and young women, and a discussion of women who are pregnant or lactating,

source: Open PR