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Did you know there’s a way for compression-free diagnosticimaging for women with breast implants, without the wait and shortcomings of MRI?

Initial experience recently published in a study by the University Hospital Zurich* confirms spiral breast CT to present “a promising modality for evaluating breast density, implant integrity, extensive capsular fibrosis, soft tissue lesions and micro-/macrocalcifications without the need of breast compression utilizing a lower dose compared to doses reported for conventional four-view mammography.”

Read the full research article to learn more.

*observational study of initial experiences with images of 21 women with implants (silicone/saline), Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. L. Ruby, S. Shim, N. Berger, M. Marcon, T. Frauenfelder, A. Boss. “Diagnostic value of a spiral breast computed tomography system equipped with photon counting detector technology in patients with implants”. In: Medicine 99.30 (2020), e20797. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000020797

After multiple reports in the local media over the past months, our breast CT system nu:view has now also caught the attention of the national press.

At the end of breast cancer awareness month October, major media outlets such as t-online, ZEIT ONLINE, Handelsblatt, RTL online and Münchner Merkur picked up  the topic – and introduced breast CT as a new, innovative approach for breast imaging.

“We are very much delighted that the Germany-wide coverage introduces our spiral breast CT to a broader audience, and more women will be informed about this diagnostic possibility,” says Benjamin Kalender, CEO of AB-CT. “Today, mamma diagnostics does no longer have to mean breast compression.”

Excerpt of recent publications (in German language):

Brustkrebs frühzeitig erkennen: Gibt es Alternativen zur Mammographie? (t-online)

Wie Mediziner Brustkrebs auf die Schliche kommen (ZEIT ONLINE)

Brustdiagnostik in neuer Dimension: Hightech-Brust-CT im MVZ Prof. Dr. Uhlenbrock und Partner in Dortmund (IN-StadtMagazine, aktuelle Lokalberichterstattung Dortmund)

Weltneuheit – Mammadiagnostik ohne Kompression: Neues Brust-CT in Regensburger Radiologiepraxis im MediPark (Lokalberichterstattung Regensburg, Archiv)

image credits: MVZ Prof. Dr. Uhlenbrock und Partner; Andrys Stienstra/Pixabay (background image “newspapers”, modified)

For the first time, AB-CT has installed the spiral breast ct system nu:view in two radiology practices:

The two devices at MVZ Prof. Dr. Uhlenbrock und Partner in Dortmund, Germany and at DIE RADIOLOGEN in Regensburg, Germany are the first installations of the high-tech breast imaging modality in a non-hospital environment.

Dr. med. Karsten Ridder (MVZ Prof. Dr. Uhlenbrock and Partner) and Dr. med. Andreas Kämena (DIE RADIOLOGEN) share their medical experience and discuss the added value of breast CT compared to conventional diagnostic imaging methods.

Press release

Dr. med. Karsten Ridder (MVZ Dortmund):

“The examination procedure [with breast CT] offers way better patient comfort and is much more relaxing for the patient, as we do not have to compress the breast. And it is very fast: In the course of a single 360° rotation around the female breast, up to 2000 projection images are created. A full scan takes as little as 7 – 12 seconds. One beneficial aspect to us radiologists is the extremely high resolution of 0.15 mm. That is seven times the resolution of conventional MRI images.”

“With mamma CT, for the first time, I can also examine breast implants safely. With these images, it is even possible to assess the integrity of the implant and the surrounding glandular parenchyma without the need for any additional contrast agent.”

About the possibility of functional imaging: “Thanks to the 3D images, we can better assess microcalcifications and also exactly measure the size of our findings. Moreover, we can also use them [the 3D images] for proper surgery planning. That is unique in senological diagnostics”

Dr. med. Andreas Kämena (DIE RADIOLOGEN Regensburg):

“The spiral breast CT system nu:view is a world-leading innovation. It allows for high resolution, 3D imaging without superimposition at comparably low radiation dose levels. In our practice, quality and patient care always come first. So this new solution is an ideal fit with the philosophy of our practice”

“nu:view is currently the only solution where it is possible to depict microcalcifications of tumours without breast compression at high resolution. This helps us to diagnose breast cancer early and in time – and completely without pain”

Disclaimer: Original press release and quotes in German language. Translations by AB-CT – Advanced Breast-CT.

Radiologie Magazin 01-2020 p. 16ff.

Innovative breast imaging at the University Hospital Zurich: compression-free without compromise

A report of the Radiologie Magazin about the experiences with the breast CT scanner nu:view at the University Hospital Zurich.

Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Andreas Boss, the senior consultant responsible for breast imaging at USZ, compares breast CT with conventional diagnostic methods and highlights the advantages of breast CT in clinical practice.

Read the full article here (in German language).

On December 3, 2019, Prof. Dr. med. Frauenfelder (Universitätsspital Zürich) was a guest at the RSNA booth of AB-CT and shared his experiences from radiological practice on the basis of selected clinical cases:

“We use mamma-computed tomography primarily as a supplement or alternative to mammography because it is a compression-free method. For many women, this is a relief from the current situation, because this compression is more often experienced as painful. The other thing is that this possibility gives us a superimposition-free imaging of the breast in all three dimensions. We can very accurately localize the tumors or calcifications and we can also make a statement about the type of the calcifications and lesions.”

Brust-CT – AB-CT from Radiologie Magazin on Vimeo.

Das Radiologie Magazin – die Zeitschrift für Trends in Technik und IT – berichtet in der Ausgabe 02-2019, S.70f. über die Anwendung der revolutionäre Photon-Counting-Technologie im Brust-CT-Scanner nu:view.

Der Beitrag nu:view Brust- CT-Scanner mit Spiral-CT-Technologie  verdeutlicht den innovativen Aspekt dieser Technologie und die damit verbundenen Vorteile für Radiologen und Patienten.

Zur vollständigen elektronischen Ausgabe des Magazins 02-2019 gelangen Sie hier

Anlässlich des 100. Deutschen Röntgenkongresses gibt Willi A. Kalender, Gründer und wissenschaftlicher Berater der AB-CT – Advanced Breast-CT GmbH,  eine Übersicht zum Stand der Forschung und Entwicklung auf dem Gebiet der Spiral-CT-Technik und -Anwendungen.

30 Jahre Spiral-CT mit bahnbrechenden technologischen Entwicklungen und positiven klinischen Ergebnissen für die Radiologie und für die Patienten.

Wir laden Sie herzlich zum Symposium “Spektral-Detektor-CT” ein. Erfahren Sie mehr über die Entwicklung des Spiral-CTs während drei Jahrzehnten.

Sie finden uns in Halle 2, Stand A30.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch in Leipzig.

Ein Gespräch zwischen Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Boss aus dem Universitätsspital Zürich und Dr. med. Dr. phil. Anna Erat.

Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Boss, erster Anwender von nu:view, dem Spiral Computertomographen für die Darstellung der weiblichen Brust, informiert in einem kurzem Interview über die Funktionsweise und Vorzüge des Brust-CTs.

A dedicated breast CT scanner that features a photon-counting detector produces high-quality images at a low radiation dose. The findings indicate that the CT scanner could be a useful tool for breast cancer screening, according to a study published online March 2 in Investigative Radiology.

In fact, a team from the University of Zurich in Switzerland believes that breast CT has the potential to further improve breast lesion detection and characterization compared with mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis — particularly because it does not require breast compression, and the photon-counting detector technology reduces radiation dose to levels comparable to those of a conventional mammogram.

“Previous studies investigating the use of conebeam breast CT in comparison to mammography reported higher radiation doses for breast CT, especially when referring to a screening setting,” wrote a group led by Dr. Nicole Berger. “More recently, new strategies have strongly increased the dose efficiency due to the use of novel photon-counting detector technology, resulting in dose levels for breast CT comparable to those of screening mammography or lower.”

Yet another benefit to breast CT is that it can be used with contrast, Berger and colleagues wrote.

“The possibility to perform contrast-enhanced examinations indicates a possible usage of breast CT comparable to breast MR imaging with the additional capability to simultaneously detect microcalcifications and soft-tissue contrast enhancement,” the researchers noted.

Holy grail?

Researchers continue to seek ways to screen for breast cancer that will minimize potential harms and maximize benefits, and Berger’s team is no different. This study used data from start-up firm Advanced Breast-CT’s dedicated spiral breast CT system, nu:view, which has a photon-counting detector based on cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystals. It’s the first clinical in vivo application of nu:view, which received CE Mark certification in September of last year.

Questions have arisen as to whether the resolution of breast CT is high enough to depict microcalcifications. The new detectors address this concern.

“Up to now, resolution of breast CT did not reach high enough resolution to visualize microcalcifications, which the new dedicated breast CT can provide. … The high resolution, but also the possibility to evaluate the images in different planes, increases and facilitates the characterization of lesions regarding suspicious features such as conspicuity, calcifications, and asymmetries, as well as masses,” the researchers wrote.

For the current study, 12 women referred for breast cancer screening underwent bilateral breast CT in the prone position as well as breast ultrasound. Three of the 12 women had previous mammography available for comparison.

Two radiologists interpreted 15 breast CT exams, which they evaluated for image quality using the following measures: spatial resolution, contrast resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio. The researchers used final reports from the breast CT evaluations with ultrasound assessment as the reference standard.

Finally, study participants gave feedback about both positioning and overall comfort during the exam using a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 equal to maximum comfort).

The major pectoral muscle was included in 15 breast CT scans (62.5%); a glandular component was partially missing in two (8.3%) of the 24 scanned breasts. Berger’s group found a “ring” artifact in all scans, although it did not influence image interpretations.

Breast CT identified three masses that were confirmed to be simple cysts on ultrasound. Ultrasound identified another five simple cysts and two solid benign lesions. In all of the breast CT exams, 12 calcifications were identified, with a median size of 1.1 mm; both readers identified all three masses and 11 of 12 calcifications on breast CT.

As for the women’s feedback about the comfort of the exam, the majority (75%) ranked it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5; all women with prior mammography ranked the breast CT exam as more comfortable due to the absence of compression.

With respect to radiation dose, Monte Carlo simulations on phantoms found that mean dose was in the range of 5.08 mGy. For point of comparison, Hendrick et al in 2010 found radiation dose from two-view digital mammography of 3.7 mGy and for film-screen mammography of 4.7 mGy.

“The new dedicated spiral breast CT equipped with a photon-counting detector provides high-quality images at low radiation dose and shows considerable potential for screening and diagnosis of breast cancer, along with improved patient comfort compared with conventional mammography,” Berger and colleagues concluded.

Source: AuntMinnie