Naviscan gets the word out on positron emission mammography
Naviscan PET Systems showcased its PEM (positron emission mammography) devices at SNM 2007 in Washington, D.C. this week. The company emphasized its flagship system, the PEM Flex Solo II, an organ-specific, high resolution PET scanner for breast cancer detection using PEM.
The system is a metabolic imaging modality that provides 3D tomographic images, and has been proven able to image lesions as small as 2mm, and thus is designed to provide early detection, and to possibly lead to earlier cure rates. The latest system also has an articulating arm, a motorized C-arm, and compression capability, and enables technologists to more easily position patients for optimal views, and improved chest wall access.
According to a company spokesperson at the show, while PEM is sometimes considered an experimental tool, it is currently being used in clinical settings and is “not a research approach anymore.” Moreover, PEM is a reimbursable imaging approach.
While breast MRI has made headlines lately for its usefulness in screening women for breast cancer – especially those at high risk of developing breast cancer, or those that have been diagnosed with cancer in one breast already – PEM has been shown to have the same sensitivity as well as higher specificity.
To demonstrate this, the company is currently assembling a head-to-head comparison of PEM and breast MRI in the form of a clinical trial. The company feels that use of PEM could provide more accurate surgical planning, which could lead to better patient outcomes as well as potentially lower healthcare costs down the road.
For more information regarding the clinical trial visit: www.naviscanpet.com.
The system is a metabolic imaging modality that provides 3D tomographic images, and has been proven able to image lesions as small as 2mm, and thus is designed to provide early detection, and to possibly lead to earlier cure rates. The latest system also has an articulating arm, a motorized C-arm, and compression capability, and enables technologists to more easily position patients for optimal views, and improved chest wall access.
According to a company spokesperson at the show, while PEM is sometimes considered an experimental tool, it is currently being used in clinical settings and is “not a research approach anymore.” Moreover, PEM is a reimbursable imaging approach.
While breast MRI has made headlines lately for its usefulness in screening women for breast cancer – especially those at high risk of developing breast cancer, or those that have been diagnosed with cancer in one breast already – PEM has been shown to have the same sensitivity as well as higher specificity.
To demonstrate this, the company is currently assembling a head-to-head comparison of PEM and breast MRI in the form of a clinical trial. The company feels that use of PEM could provide more accurate surgical planning, which could lead to better patient outcomes as well as potentially lower healthcare costs down the road.
For more information regarding the clinical trial visit: www.naviscanpet.com.