- The software for the new Acuson S2000 automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) developed by joint venture partner Siemens offers numerous intelligent clinical diagnostic functions
- Considerable potential for use in early detection of breast cancer thanks to user-independent standardized imaging and volume scans
- Enhanced workflow efficiency opening up possibilities for use by physicians in private practice
Bremen, March 6, 2009 - MeVis Medical Solutions AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBFE4), a specialist in software for image-based medicine, has today announced that the diagnostic software, which was developed by MeVis BreastCare, a joint venture which it operates with Siemens AG, will be presented by Siemens together with its new automated breast volume scanner Acuson S2000 ABVS at the European Conference of Radiologists (ECR) in Vienna.
The new Acuson S2000 ABVS automated breast volume scanner performs automatic, user-independent and swift full-field ultrasonic breast scans. The volume images now provide medical practitioners with information of an additional plane previously not available with conventional ultrasound. This so called coronal view of the breast (from the nipple to the breast wall) additionally offers an important instrument in planning surgery.
Recent scientific research has shown that ultrasound provides a medically extremely valuable supplement to digital mammography particularly in the case of younger patients who typically have dense breast tissue, especially if they are at risk. Using modern volume-based ultrasound, it is also possible to identify lesions which otherwise go undetected in two-dimensional imaging modalities. Looking forward, the combined deployment of digital mammography and ultrasound will result in a further substantial increase in detection rates for non-palpable invasive breast cancer.
“I am convinced that automated ultrasound volume imaging with the Acuson S2000 ABVS can make a significant contribution to diagnostic confidence for women with dense breast tissue or inconclusive mammography findings,” says Klaus Hambüchen CEO of Ultrasound at Siemens Healthcare. Examinations performed with the Acuson S2000 ABVS technique generally take less than 15 minutes. “Time well spent if you consider the extended diagnostic capabilities of ultrasound in dense breasts.”
“Detaching the imaging from the diagnostic process gives rise to entirely new clinical workflow possibilities, resulting in considerable potential for saving time and expense while enhancing diagnostic quality,” adds Dr. Carl J.G. Evertsz, CEO of MeVis Medical Solutions AG and managing director of the MeVis BreastCare joint venture with Siemens. “In this way, the medical practitioner can examine the images for several patients in a concentrated work flow at any time after the data has been recorded. As a result, the process offers considerable potential for use in the early detection of breast cancer.”
The intelligent image suspension system implemented in the diagnostic software permits, for example, the freely configurable automated synchronization of image data, thus enabling earlier images of the same patient to be compared swiftly and reliably. As well as this, the system supports the semi-automated production of diagnostic reports including BI-RADS. Developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) is used to classify the results of mammography scans. If necessary, the lesions discovered can be grouped together and stored using a standardized data format in clinical PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems), where they can be retrieved at any time later on.
Clinical application testing has since been completed successfully in the United States, Japan and Germany. “Once final approval has been granted by the responsible regulatory authorities, we expect this medically significant software solution to start generating initial revenues in the second quarter,” says Christian H. Seefeldt, CFO at MeVis Medical Solutions AG. License income will be reported in the Digital Mammography segment in the future.