How Does BSGI Compare?

BSGI advantages relative to MRI include:

  • Improved PPV
  • Easy-to-interpret images that correlate to all mammographic views
  • Fewer patient restrictions than MRI, such as: obesity; breast size; ferromagnetic implants; claustrophobia; compromised kidney and/or liver function; etc.
  • High sensitivity for DCIS and lobular carcinoma

MRI has shown usefulness as a next-step imaging modality for difficult-to-diagnose cases.

However, MRI is limited by:

  • Highly variable specificity, which can range from below 37 percent to 97 percent
  • Expensive test to administer
  • Often is difficult to schedule

BSGI provides improved specificity over MRI while providing images that make interpretation easier for the reader.		  

BSGI Image
BSGI Image
BSGI image cellular activity
for a clear view.

MRI
MRI

MRI images can contain nonspecific enhancement difficult to interpret
Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) is a nuclear medicine technique that has been proven to aid in preoperative planning in patients with a known cancer diagnosis. For functional imaging, PEM can reveal tumors in dense or surgically altered breasts.

However, the use of PEM imaging has challenges:

  • PEM's primary use is for the initial staging of disease, but it may also be used for ongoing post-surgical disease management. As most insurance companies require a diagnosis of cancer prior to imaging, PEM is generally not used in the diagnostic work-up of patients.
  • Before the tracer injection, patients must fast for six hours; and diabetics must undergo a blood glucose test. In addition, patients must wait 1 to 1.5 hours after the injection before the test can be conducted.
  • In most cases a PEM test needs to be scheduled at a later date, so same-day care is not an option.

Ultrasound is commonly utilized as a next-step after a questionable mammogram, and is useful in many cases. However, ultrasound demonstrates a low specificity that can be misleading and indicate biopsy resulting in a benign finding.

BSGI, as a functional procedure, images cellular activity while ultrasound images the anatomic features of the breast. Functional imaging allows physicians to see the breast more clearly by providing a map of cellular metabolism. BSGI provides improved sensitivity and specificity over ultrasound.		   BSGI Image
BSGI Image
BSGI images cellular activity for a clear view.

Ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound can result in shadowy indeterminate findings, which can be difficult to interpret.
BSGI evolved from a related nuclear medicine imaging procedure of the breast called scintimammography. Scintimammography, like BSGI, is based on imaging the enhanced uptake of sestamibi in tumors within the breast. For years, scintimammography showed considerable promise to be a strong diagnostic tool in the early detection of breast cancer.

However, the limitations of scintimammography as performed with large general-purpose gamma cameras did not allow for the reliable detection of sub-centimeter lesions or direct correlation to mammograms, thus limiting the capability of this promising diagnostic tool.

BSGI with the Dilon 6800® overcame these limitations:

  • has detected lesions as small as 1mm in clinical studies.
  • provides the same views as mammography
  • compact design and mobility allows for same-day evaluation and imaging at the point of care
  • can be positioned directly against the breast to maximize study spatial resolution
  • rotates to obtain all possible views

Large general-purpose gamma cameras, as used in scintimammography, are designed for whole-body imaging and are not optimized for imaging small structures.
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