October 1, 2014 — GE Healthcare announced Allegheny Health Network is the first center in the nation to install SenoClaire, the company’s new breast tomosynthesis solution, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September. SenoClaire uses a low-dose short X-ray sweep around the positioned breast with nine exposures acquired with a “step-and-shoot” method, removing the potential motion from the tube, helping to reduce blur and increase image sharpness.
“We are pleased to be working with GE Healthcare to provide women with a precise screening tool to help detect breast cancer,” said William Poller, MD., director of the division of breast imaging at Allegheny Health Network. “When cancer is identified and treated earlier, we know women have a better rate of survival.”
Allegheny Health Network’s new Health + Wellness Pavilion in Wexford, Pa., is the first site in the nation to install SenoClaire. In the coming months, SenoClaire will be installed in additional Allegheny Health Network sites, including Allegheny General Hospital, West Penn Hospital, Forbes Hospital and Allegheny Valley.
“SenoClaire marks a significant step forward in helping our clinicians detect breast cancer,” said David Parda, M.D., chair, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute. “At Allegheny Health Network, we provide our patients with the most effective ways to battle cancer from every possible angle, with innovative procedures, medicines and technology.”
A key challenge when performing screening mammography is keeping the radiation levels as low as possible. With SenoClaire, there is no increase in dose from a 2-D standard mammogram to a 3-D view, which means there is no increased radiation to patients during a SenoClaire breast exam.
SenoClaire is compatible with the Centricity PACS (picture archiving and communications system) with universal viewer and supports the DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) standard that can be read by capable PACS vendors. When SenoClaire is combined with GE Healthcare’s Centricity PACS and Centricity Clinical Archive solution, clinicians have access to the patient’s longitudinal record, providing data that helps to enable better patient care.
“SenoClaire builds on our breast care continuum, which offers physicians and patients a comprehensive suite of solutions, from screening and diagnosis through treatment and monitoring,” said Catherine Tabaka, chief marketing officer, Detection and Guidance Solutions, GE Healthcare. “SenoClaire not only offers patients a new solution to help clinicians better detect breast cancer, but does so with low dose radiation and high image quality. This new generation technology, breast tomosynthesis, together with innovative solutions like contrast-enhanced spectral mammography, automated whole breast ultrasound, and molecular breast imaging will equip healthcare providers with a comprehensive set of tools that will help their patients across the entire breast care continuum.”
GE Healthcare currently has 180 units installed in Europe, Australia, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. GE Healthcare is actively working on SenoClaire installations throughout 2014 and into 2015.
