Research Being Presented at ECR Demonstrates how VolparaEnterprise Software Helps Breast Imaging Providers Deliver High-Quality, Personalised Breast Screening
VIENNA, March 1, 2017 – Volpara Solutions announced the European launch of Volpara®Enterprise™ 2.0 software, which helps breast imaging facilities deliver high quality, personalised breast screening, here at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) meeting, March 1–5, 2017. (Expo X1, Stand 32).
VolparaEnterprise software delivers key performance indicators (KPIs) for hundreds of performance and quality metrics, including patient positioning, compression and equipment utilisation. VolparaEnterprise software provides continuous quality assurance and performance monitoring through dynamic, interactive dashboards feeding ConstantQuality metrics that are updated with every mammography or tomosynthesis (3D mammography) exam.
VolparaEnterprise software, a Microsoft Azure-based solution, is fully integrated with VolparaDensity software, the most clinically validated 3D Density solution. Designed to support large or small enterprises, VolparaEnterprise software enables breast centres to perform rapid quality control checks that help optimise the productivity and efficiency of imaging resources. This in turn helps decrease costs through the reduction of retakes, increase employee effectiveness, and enhance the patient experience.
Updates to VolparaEnterprise 2.0 software include new infographics and analytics tools to help improve understanding of resource utilisation and performance and provide better understanding of their patient population and referral patterns: the new Technologist dashboard enables each radiographer to monitor her own performance and self-train to fix positioning and compression problems; the Lead Radiographer now sees a Quality Quadrant diagram that summarises patient positioning and compression performance by each radiographer, helping to identify training opportunities. Also, the broader use of infographics on each new role-specific “landing page” makes data quicker and easier to summarise and interpret.
“Adding VolparaEnterprise software has enabled us to implement new quality processes that will help ensure that every woman’s mammogram is the best that we can offer. Being able to pull data that has been hidden, we’re able to improve the practice’s efficiencies and effectiveness, which will help improve outcomes. We owe that to our patients,” said Kathy Schilling, MD, Medical Director, Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute in Florida.
Volpara Solutions is showcasing its entire suite of quantitative breast imaging tools at ECR. The company’s technology is currently in use in 35 countries, and more than 9 million women have had their breast density analysed using VolparaDensity software.
The ability of analytics data from VolparaEnterprise software to help maintain accuracy and consistent quality in breast screening is the focus of numerous abstracts and educational sessions accepted for presentation at the ECR, including:
- “Large variation in mammography compression internationally.” This poster presents an overview of breast compression across 15 countries from Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. There is a wide variation in compression between countries, which may arise both from patient-specific differences and disparities in the compression behaviour of the technologists. Standardised monitoring of compression, such as done with VolparaEnterprise, can help to reduce such discrepancies.
- “Determination of adequate breast tissue visualization using an automated posterior nipple line measure.” This poster describes automated measurement of the posterior nipple line (PNL). Good breast positioning is crucial for optimal cancer detection, but difficult to assess manually. The automated method proved robust in comparison to gold-standard manual measurement of the PNL and provides an important quality metric to monitor operator performance.
- “Grade, size, invasive status and breast density of screen-detected and interval cancers in breast screening in the UK.” This analysis of 3,771 UK women reveals that women presenting with interval cancers have Volpara Density Grade that is 2.1% higher than women with screen-detected cancers. Interval cancers arise between regular mammography exams and tend to be aggressive and have a poor prognosis. Interval cancers also prove to be of higher grade, larger size and are more likely to be invasive.
About Volpara Solutions
Founded with the goal of helping radiologists give women the most accurate information possible regarding their breast health, Volpara Solutions is the wholly owned sales and marketing arm of Volpara Health Technologies Limited of New Zealand (formerly Matakina Technology). Available in most markets where breast cancer screening is commonplace, VolparaDensity provides an objective volumetric measure of breast density from both digital mammography and tomosynthesis data. VolparaDensity is part of a suite of quantitative breast imaging tools built on the Volpara Solutions algorithm that allows for personalised measurements of density, patient-specific x-ray dose, breast compression, breast positioning and other factors designed to provide critical insight for breast imaging workflow. For more information, visit www.volparasolutions.com.
