MRI Breast Coil: Dramatic new technology
by Kathy Hagood
Brevard County, FL -
Wuestoff Health System recently enhanced its ability to diagnose difficult-to-detect breast tumors in high-risk patients with the addition of two new technologies, the MRI Breast Coil and Ethicon Biopsy Probe.
The new MRI Breast Coil and its accompanying software works in conjunction with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment at Wuestoff’s Medical Center Rockledge to spot small tumors that can be missed by mammogram and ultrasound tests.
If a suspect tumor is detected, the biopsy probe is used with a special viewing station and imaging for exact placement of the biopsy needle to determine if a small tumor is benign or malignant.
Catching cancerous tumors when they are small allows for less-burdensome treatment options and a better prognosis, says Dr. Paul Isenbarger, M.D., radiologist and chief of interventional radiation for Wuestoff Health System.
The MRI Breast Coil technology is especially useful in detecting small tumors in women with dense breasts, which are composed of more connective and epithelial tissue and less fat than less dense breasts.
“We used this technology to test my mother, who had had breast cancer four years ago, and found a small tumor that had been missed by both a mammogram and ultrasound,” Isenbarger says.
Isenbarger’s mother, Margot Jensen, now is undergoing hormonal treatment to keep the tumor in check.
“A mammogram and ultrasound are both important tests that can’t be replaced by a MRI Breast Coil test, but the MRI Breast Coil is better for detecting smaller tumors in many cases,” Isenbarger says. “It’s important to use these tests in conjunction, especially for high-risk patients.”
Mammograms, unlike the MRI Breast Coil, for example, can detect calcifications, which are footprints for cancerous tumors.
The American Cancer Society recommends women with a high-risk for breast cancer receive annual MRI tests as well as mammogram and ultrasound tests. High-risk women include those who have previously had breast cancer or have a mother or a sister with breast cancer.
Dr. Isenbarger pushed for the new MRI Breast Coil technology after first learning about it at a conference several years ago.
Some insurers will pay for the MRI Breast Coil test for high-risk patients. The cost for the test for those who self pay is approximately $1,500.
Because the MRI Breast Coil test is more sensitive, there’s an increase in the number of biopsies that show the suspect tumor to be benign, Dr. Isenbarger says.
“Anytime a test is more sensitive there will be more false positives,” he says.
The best time for pre-menopausal women to be tested is between the 7th and 14th day after their monthly cycle.
Women who have a pacemaker or any other embedded electronic device are not candidates for the MRI Breast Coil test. A sedative can be prescribed for women who are concerned they may become claustrophobic during the enclosed MRI test.
Previously women tested with the breast coil technology elsewhere in Brevard had to travel to Orlando or another large city for a combination of retesting with a breast coil and a biopsy if a suspect tumor was found, says Gordon Hessie, diagnostic imaging director for Wuestoff Health System.
“The new technology is a great windfall for those who would otherwise have to travel for their testing and biopsy,” Hessie says.
The addition of the new technology was made possible by the Wuesthoff Health System Foundation through funds raised at the 2006 fifth annual Wuesthoff Foundation Gala event. The cost of the equipment was about $180,000.