Cornwall integrates breast screening

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has streamlined its breast imaging system to fully integrate it with the National Breast Screening Service system.

The trust has implemented six syngo MammoReport workstations from Siemens to provide reading and reporting of mammograms in both screening and diagnostic settings.

The workstations, which are based at the Mermaid Centre breast care unit, also link up to the picture archiving and communication system for storage and evaluation of the images.

The integration with the NBSS system enables the trust to securely draw work lists and image data from its mammography systems and to view the necessary images at any of the workstations, providing a faster and more efficient way of reporting.

Simon Bromage, unit manager at the Mermaid Centre, at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said: “The MammoReport workstations will allow us to create a more efficient service, giving flexibility to staff and making the best use of our breast imaging modalities.

“Having this technology in place will allow us to further improve our service to the patient, ensuring that we are delivering the best possible experience with the technology available.”

Up to eight images can be reviewed at one time and the workstation also allows the entire reporting process to be customised to individual requirements.

The multi-modality compatibility means that the trust can now view breast imaging data from mammography, MRI and ultrasound on the same software platform when reading and reporting.

Lynn Blackburn, product manager special products at Siemens Healthcare, said: “This is our first breast screening project that includes an acquisition and reporting solution linked to the LSP’s PACS system, plus full integration with both the NBSS system and the CRIS radiology information system.

“This level of connectivity will enable the hospital to offer a state-of-the-art reading and reporting service for breast imaging with improved data management.”

Link: Siemens Healthcare