by
Lisa Chamoff, Contributing Reporter | July 05, 2017
A hospital in South Florida is the first to install GE Healthcare’s new 3-D digital mammography scanner, and the director of the hospital’s women’s health center says the technology has “reinvented” the mammography experience for patients, and should lead to improved annual mammogram compliance.
The Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health and Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital recently installed the first commercial Senographe Pristina with 3-D mammography.
Dr. Kathy Schilling, the center’s medical director, said the Senographe Pristina — which they use with GE’s SensorySuite, a setup that dispenses calming fragrances and offers soothing videos, photos and sounds to create a spa-like environment — has completely transformed the mammogram, turning it into a more comfortable experience.
“It’s not as intimidating and mechanical-looking as the older mammography units,” Schilling told HCB News.
Schilling said the Senographe Pristina’s design, with gentle, rounded corners on the image detector, helps reduce patient pain under the arms. Armrests replace conventional handgrips, so patients aren’t tensing their pectoral muscles, which can make it hard for the technologist to properly position the breast tissue. This has led to better images, since improper positioning may decrease mammography sensitivity.
“We’ve found that we’re able to get more breast tissue on the mammogram because the patients are more relaxed,” Schilling said. “We really think this will increase compliance.”
The exposure time is shorter on the Senographe Pristina, and exams are completed faster.
“Our goal is for all our baseline patients to have their mammograms on the Senographe Pristina with the hope it will dismiss any preconceived fears and encourage more compliance with annual screening,” Schilling said. “We can’t do something with the outcomes, but we can do something about the anxiety related to the exam.”
The facility’s technologists have also found the Senographe Pristina easier to use. They can switch between 2-D and 3-D images with one click and move the tube out of the way for the MLO positions, eliminating the need for bending and twisting.
"At GE Healthcare, we are committed to helping bring screening and diagnostic technology to more women," Agnes Berzsenyi, president and CEO of Women's Health at GE Healthcare, said in a statement. "We know that the key reason women don't go for mammograms is fear of pain. We designed Senographe Pristina to make the experience more comfortable and to lower women's anxiety. Our hope is that a more comfortable experience will help more women get a screening exam and find cancer early when it is most treatable."
Back to HCB News
