GE Healthcare introduces it's new automated breast ultrasound for dense breast

There could not have been more appropriate time for the launch of GE Healthcare new Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) 2.0 than October, which is celebrated as breast cancer awareness month. The Invenia ABUS is the only FDA approved 3D ultrasound system for supplemental screening for breast cancer along with mammography.

In conjunction with mammography, it increases the chances of cancer detection in the dense breast by 55%. All breasts are not the same, the density of breast is determined by a proportion of fat and breast tissue—when the percentage of breast tissue exceeds that of fat, breasts are labeled as being dense.

Dense breast tissue and cancer both appear white on mammograms, thereby creating a diagnostic dilemma for the radiologists. It is estimated that about 71% of all breast cancers occur in dense breast and 1 in 3 cancers are missed by mammography. 

In the USA, about 40% of women have dense breast; thereby putting them at increased risk of having breast cancer and detection at a late stage. Early detection of breast cancer increases the chance of cure and patients may void chemotherapy.

The Invenia ABUS uses particular software-based graphics processor to capture operator independent, high-quality images making it possible to reproduce consistent images every time the machine is used. Unlike manual device, the focal zone and grain are automatically adjusted eliminating the inter-operator variability.  All these features enable the Invenia to pick-up small cancers that are predominantly invasive but node negative,  culminating into substantial patient benefits.

Invenia ABUS also provides 2-mm thick coronal slices which allow the operator an efficient visualization of the entire breast for architectural distortions and multifocal disease. With the reconstruction of 2-mm thick coronal slices, it is easy to obtain a persistent orientation and location of the lesions relative to the nipple and to scan the entire breast from the skin to chest wall.

The machine is also designed keeping patients comfort at the forefront. The gentle Reverse Curve™ transducer is designed according to the natural contour of breast allowing full contact and effective compression. The operator can customize the examination by programmable scan protocols to personalize it to patient needs.

The windows 10 provides a user-friendly interface to review, interpret patients' results quickly. Compression time can be shortened once tissue acquisition is complete. The three-view layout and Auto Prior Compare enable the physician to compare the results and focus on a region of interest.

“We believe ABUS can help clinicians find significantly more cancers than mammography alone, especially in women with dense breasts,” said Luke Delaney, general manager of Automated Breast Ultrasound at GE Healthcare, in a published statement. “As breast ultrasound technology continues to advance, we are investing to continually improve image quality, workflow, and patient comfort – all of which contribute to early detection and improved outcomes.”

Here is a video about the Invenia ABUS 2.0 acquisition process

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