Precise diagnostics - Digital mammography system impresses doctors and patients

The doctors at the gynaecological group practice ‘Rittershaus, Funke, Röhrs’ in Vinnhorst and the gyn.mic practice clinic in Großburgwedel have added mammography to the wide range of gynaecological examinations. Both healthcare facilities have opted for the digital Clarity S system from Planmed.

Mammography has a long tradition in the practice clinic of Dr med. Björn Brunke, Kirsten Hilgers and Dorothee Jacobi as well as in the joint practice of Dr med. Alexander Rittershaus, Karina Funke and Annika Röhrs. Both the patients and the referring gynaecologists can rely on the high quality of the diagnostics.

Dr Alexander Rittershaus not only performs mammograms in his own practice, but also carries out assessments at a screening centre. Every year, the experienced doctor sees the images of around 7,000 patients. He and his colleague Karina Funke attach great importance to reliable and high-quality examination equipment. ‘It was important to us that we get a mammography system that works quickly and easily, is easy for the staff to use and offers high image quality,’ explains Dr Rittershaus.

The compactness and image quality were also decisive factors for the operators of the gyn.mic practice clinic in deciding in favour of the Clarity S mammography unit from Planmed. Dr Björn Brunke and Kirsten Hilgers have researched the new devices in detail and viewed their favourites in use in several practices. ‘Our staff are delighted with how easy and intuitive the new Planmed system is to use,’ enthuses Kirsten Hilgers and Dr Brunke adds: ’Even patients we have been treating for many years have noticed that mammograms are easier, quicker and, above all, more pleasant to perform.’

High image quality

Dr Alexander Rittershaus sees the images from numerous different mammography devices in the screening centre and soon learned to appreciate the high image quality of the Clarity S from Planmed. The image quality and the compact, easy-to-handle design were ultimately the deciding factors for his colleague and him in favour of the purchase.

‘In mammography, it is a particular challenge to detect small focal findings or microcalcifications. These are often incidental findings that need to be visualised in enlarged form,’ explains Karina Funke. ‘Even small lesions that are very close to the breast wall are easy to see with the new mammography system from Planmed.’

The tricky cases are those in which the findings can initially only be seen in one plane, as the gynaecologists then have to search with additional images from different angles in other planes.

‘Another challenge that the new mammography unit masters perfectly is taking images of patients who cannot move their shoulders well or who come in a wheelchair or with a walking frame,’ confirms Karina Funke. In these cases, two MTAs usually work together to position the patients optimally on the device.

The gynaecologists in both practices were particularly surprised by the smooth process, from project planning and installation through to Examion's instruction. ‘Remove the old device, install new sockets, paint the room, install the new device and that's it,’ says Dr Björn Brunke, still delighted. ‘Everything was done within a week, including the acceptance test and instruction. That really surprised us. We were only unable to take mammograms for one week,’ confirms Dr Alexander Rittershaus. The gynaecologists are very satisfied with Examion's customer service and technical support.

Intuitive to operate

The mammography unit is networked with a practice management system in both the practice clinic and the group practice. Seamless workflow integration ensures that the images can be viewed at the doctors' workstations immediately after they have been taken. Due to the large storage requirements for mammography images, a dedicated image data server is used.

Kirsten Hilgers sees a clear improvement in the assessment of dense breast tissue and shows the current image of a patient and a mammogram taken around a year ago with the previous system.

The image taken with the new system shows the same breast in a much more differentiated way and a tumour can be seen more clearly. For the gynaecologist, this represents a significant improvement in the quality of the findings.

The acquisition of a new mammography device was a significant improvement for both the medical teams and the patients in the gynaecological practices. The high image quality and compact design of the Clarity S from Planmed enable more precise diagnostics, especially for difficult findings. The intuitive usability and seamless integration into existing systems has optimised the workflow, increasing both efficiency and convenience for patients. The gynaecologists are very satisfied with Examion's customer service and technical support.

More information about the Planmed Clarity series