Intraoperative Radiography:
Saves Time, Increases Accuracy During Breast Cancer Surgery

Time is precious, especially during surgery. Tomorrow’s technology is here today to assist surgeons during breast cancer surgery. Little Company of Mary Hospital – Torrance is one of only two hospitals in Los Angeles County, and the only hospital in the South Bay, to have a new Faxitron DX-50 Specimen Radiography system. With the new system, the radiology department is brought into the operating room and can now save time during breast cancer surgery.

 
In some cases, physicians need more detailed information after reviewing the results of a mammogram, and they order a biopsy of the tissue. During the surgical procedure, the tissue is removed and an X-ray of the specimen is taken while the patient is still in the operating room. The surgeon needs confirmation that the entire target lesion has been excised.

Traditionally, to receive this confirmation, the specimen that was removed was transported to a location where it was X-rayed, processed and carried to a radiologist or pathologist on site for review. This typically took 30 minutes or more. Meanwhile, the operative team waited and the patient remained anesthetized until the radiologist called the surgeons to say that the lesion had (or had not) been removed.

“Reducing 30 minutes of time that a patient is under anesthesia is a huge benefit,” the hospital’s imaging services supervisor, Steve Magennis, says, “It reduces the time under anesthesia which can dramatically reduce complications.”

Now, the wait is over.

 
The Faxitron DX-50 unit is portable and can be moved from one operating room to another and because of low X-ray emission, no additional radiation shielding is needed. The removed specimen is immediately placed in the self-contained system located right in the operating room. In a matter of seconds, a digital image is displayed on the monitor of the small, portable unit while the image can be viewed simultaneously by a radiologist on site or at an off-site location. In addition, its advanced technology allows for much less handling of the specimen, thus reducing the risk of contamination.

“It dramatically cuts down the waiting time,” says oncologist Melanie Friedlander, MD. “The image is now ready in 8.5 seconds.”

Further, the more sophisticated technology available with the Faxitron provides for more versatility in the analysis of the specimen. As a result of this increased accuracy, physicians are able to remove smaller samples while improving the healing time for patients as well as reducing the potential for complications.

“The Faxitron improves the accuracy of the surgeon when doing a lumpectomy,” Dr. Friedlander adds. “I can compare the way the specimen is sitting in the machine to the image on screen. That way I am able to correlate the various margins of the lumpectomy to the X-ray findings.” Most importantly to the patient, Dr. Friedlander says that because of the ability to decrease the risk of positive margins, doctors are able to decrease the possibility the patient may need a second procedure.

Return to Index

Please read our Disclaimer | About your Privacy | Copyright © Little Company of Mary
Joint Notice of Privacy Practices | Esta Notificación de Prácticas sobre Confidencialidad