At the breast center conference in Las Vegas on March 21, Parisky presented the clinical experience using TechniScan's whole breast ultrasound system.  He explained that of the 34 patients participating in the study at the Breast Care and Imaging Center of Orange County, there were 14 cases with cysts, one case of silicone granulomas from a breast implant, 14 benign masses and eight biopsy-confirmed malignancies. The Warm Bath Ultrasound images were able to provide 3-D visualization of lesion location within the breast.

The study also found that the WBU scanning system was easy to use and required minimal training. A sonographer is not necessary to administer the scan since the system is automated. Additionally the scans were quick (approximately 12 minutes per breast) and required no breast compression.

"The WBU system was clearly able to distinguish between fibroglandular and other complex structures within the breast. Combined, the speed of sound, reflection and attenuation images are expected to improve 3-D visualization and improve specificity of breast lesions," said Parisky.

The future for whole breast ultrasound is encouraging. The radiologist panel at the Emerging Technologies Lecture at NCBC acknowledged that ultrasound paired with mammography is finding more cancers than mammography alone and 3-D imaging provides greater insight into the breast anatomy.

"We expect whole breast ultrasound will become a widely adopted modality for 3-D breast imaging in the coming years as radiologists begin to recognize the ease of use and imaging capabilities of automated breast ultrasound systems. We believe that our whole breast ultrasound will be competitive with technologies like breast MRI, and study after study is validating that ultrasound is finding cancers that mammography alone can't image," said Dave Robinson, chief executive officer at TechniScan.

SOURCE TechniScan, Inc.