Mammography clinic takes up the fight against osteoporosis - combining low dose mammography and new online service from Sectra
Sectra announces an agreement with Aspen Healthcare Ltd for use of Sectra’s unique solution for mammography and osteoporosis screening at Holly House Hospital. The hospital is the first in the UK to give women the opportunity of better quality of life by offering osteoporosis detection and mammography in a single examination. This is an initiative that will also drastically reduce care costs, since fractures caused by osteoporosis will decline.
“For most women, regular mammography examinations are a natural part of the safety net for early detection of breast cancer. The ability to conduct screening to identify osteoporosis at the same time could mean that many women will avoid unnecessary suffering and could result in major cost-savings for society,” says Torbjörn Kronander, President of Sectra’s medical operations.
Several initiatives worldwide advocate screening for osteoporosis risk factors and research in progress is paving the way for Swedish medical technology company Sectra’s unique solution. An example is the Karolinska Institute’s research study being conducted in Stockholm, in which 10,000 women are able to take the combined examination. Holly House is among the first in Europe to take such an initiative. Based on a single radiology image of the hand, taken in connection with the mammography examination and using the same equipment, the Sectra dxr-online service calculates Bone Mineral Density. To perform the combined examination, Holly House has invested in Sectra MicroDose Mammography, which with superior image quality, generates by far the lowest dose of radiation of all of the systems offered in the market.
“We are extremely excited to be using these exceptional technologies for our mammography and osteoporosis services. The dxr-online service has enabled us to safely monitor patients’ bone mineral density on a regular basis providing early indication of the risk of developing osteoporosis and therefore giving the patient the opportunity for a better quality of life,” says Allyson Budino, Manager of the Diagnostic Centre at Holly House Hospital.
Osteoporosis-related fractures remain one of the major health threats for women. But if women in the risk zone for osteoporosis are identified at an early stage, there are now inexpensive and effective ways of preventing fractures through lifestyle changes and medication. Early discovery also saves major resources for society. Collectively, these are important reasons why mammography clinics in Europe have begun to show an interest in this possibility.
As low radiation dose as possible
Mammography screening is the best method for early breast cancer detection. Breast tissue is sensitive to radiation, and it is therefore crucial that the dose is as low as possible. This is especially important in mammography screening, which involves examination of a large number of healthy women. With superior image quality, Sectra’s mammography system, Sectra MicroDose Mammography[1], generates by far the lowest dose of radiation of all of the systems offered on the market. Sectra MicroDose Mammography is based on photon counting technology.
MicroDose Mammography has already been installed at numerous hospitals and clinics in 18 European countries, as well as in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
[1] Pending FDA approval
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Torbjörn Kronander, President, Sectra Imtec AB, +46 705 23 52 27
About Sectra’s medical operations
Sectra develops and sells IT-systems and products for radiology, mammography and orthopaedic departments. More than 1,100 hospitals worldwide use the system daily, together performing over 52 million radiology examinations annually. This makes Sectra one of the world leading companies within systems for handling digital radiology images (PACS). In Scandinavia, Sectra is the market leader with more than 50% of all film-free installations. Outside Scandinavia, Sectra’s system is installed at customers in North America and most major countries in Europe and the Far East.
About the Sectra Group
Sectra successfully develops and sells cutting-edge products in the expansive niche segments of medical systems and secure communication systems. The company was founded in 1978 and has its roots in the Linköping Institute of Technology in Sweden. Today, Sectra has offices in twelve countries and operates through partners worldwide. Sales in the 2009/2010 fiscal year totaled SEK 848 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB exchange. For more information, visit http://www.sectra.com/.
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