Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) started with the first volunteer undergoing a whole breast DBT study in 1999. Since then, healthcare providers have continued to see more advantages of DBT. For those facilities that are considering a move to DBT but are held to tight budgets, cloud-based technologies can help to provide the advantages of DBT and keep costs within budget.
The Benefits of DBT
Long-term studies regarding DBT were few and far between until recently, when researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine took a closer look. In their study, they considered women age 40 and older who were screened for breast cancer at the university hospital over a six-year period. Almost 30,000 of the women studied had no symptoms or history of breast cancer.
The researchers compared studies done through digital mammography and DBT. What they discovered is that DBT found more cancers with a lower recall rate than the studies where digital mammography was used.
Easier Access
The benefits are undeniable. Women who have access to this technology are going to stand a better chance of having their cancers detected, giving them a wider window of opportunity to treat the cancer before it becomes life-threatening. The problem is that in many rural areas, healthcare facilities are often unable to gain access to DBT technology. In fact, there are areas around the country where many counties within a state will not have an FDA-certified mammography center.
Fortunately, cloud-based image management providers have solutions for viewing and processing mammography studies, including DBT. The most advanced vendors are providing the following in their advanced processing features:
- Mammography CAD support of virtually any vendor
- Reference lines between MLO and CC images
- Reference lines between MG and US
- Tomosynthesis cine + MIP creation
At OffSite Image Management, we’re focused on bringing our clients, including those in rural areas which are historically underserved, high-quality services. Implant blocker technology is one benefit of our solution, which improves the way the eye adapts to the luminance of the breast that has an implant.
Semantic interoperability is also something OffSite offers that others do not. This perk allows for optimal on-screen hanging, automatic flip Hologic and MG and US. We also offer CAD in our MAMMO services, which supports GE, Siemens, Fuji, HOLOGIC, VuComp and Cyclopus.
At OffSite, our approach has always focused on rural providers, critical access hospitals, small imaging centers and clinics that need modern technology but believe they can’t afford it. If you’re short on skilled workers to manage all your software and hardware, rely on us to do that for you. Check out our MAMMO page and see how OffSite is bringing cutting edge technology to the underserved.