Collaboration to Study Automated 3D Breast Ultrasound Technology

New ultrasound technology, used in a warm water tank, captures three-dimensional (3D) images of the breast as a woman lies prone on a table.

TechniScan Medical Systems (Salt Lake City, UT, USA), a medical device company focused on the development and commercialization of automated 3D breast ultrasound imaging systems, announced that in collaboration with University Medical Center Freiburg (Germany) it has launched a clinical study to assess clinical utility of TechniScan's warm bath ultrasound (WBU) technology. The University Medical Center Breast Examination Center of the radiology department, University Medical Center Freiburg, is a regional center for women's health and was noted as an the ideal place for the study.

Clinicians will scan at least 150 women within three defined groups: Those with normal mammography findings, those with known benign lesions, and those with known malignancies. The study includes direct comparison of TechniScan's WBU images against mammogram, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and hand-held ultrasound to evaluate directly the ability of WBU in providing comparative diagnostic findings.

Medical imaging company Esaote (Genova, Italy) worked with TechniScan in the development of the WBU system and will support TechniScan's efforts in Europe and in Italy. "The Warm Bath Ultrasound system has been developed with groundbreaking science and technology,” said Dr. Luigi Satragno, R&D and strategic marketing general manager of Esaote. "We look forward to seeing the clinical studies results and to a long and productive partnership with TechniScan.”

Radiologists involved in the Freiburg study will utilize TechniScan's imaging network, which provides them with the ability to archive, store, and retrieve anonymous WBU images and relevant medical records and will discuss and compare their results with other researchers.

"Our vision is to begin to create a database of thousands of anonymous breast images and related data,” said Dave Robinson, chief executive officer at TechniScan. "This scientific database will consist of anonymous mammograms, breast MRIs, and WBU images, along with related pathology and other information, to provide researchers around the world an unprecedented opportunity to study breast cancer. The concept is simple, yet revolutionary within the medical system and represents a key competitive advantage of the TechniScan system.”

Esaote is one of the fastest growing medical imaging companies in the world specializing in high-performance ultrasound systems and is a key investor in TechniScan. Esaote's hand-held ultrasound system, the MyLab 70 XVG, is integrated into TechniScan's Warm Bath Ultrasound system to provide both automated reflection imaging and to aid in hand-guided breast biopsy. As the key original manufacture equipment (OEM) supplier for the WBU system, Esaote provides TechniScan with support for engineering, regulatory, and manufacturing initiatives.

TechniScan is a medical device company engaged in the development and commercialization of a noninvasive imaging tool designed to provide physicians with automated ultrasound images of the human breast. The system uses a process (WBU) to provide physicians with automated, 3D ultrasound images of the physical structures within the breast. TechniScan's WBU imaging device is limited by U.S. law to investigational use until cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Related Links:
TechniScan Medical Systems
University Medical Center Freiburg
Esaote