Presenter Dr. Liane Philpotts of Yale University in New Haven, CT, and colleagues conducted a study to investigate the effects of screening WBUS on department workflow, specifically how long interpretation takes for both technologists and radiologists.
The study included 616 WBUS exams performed by 27 technologists in February 2019 following a normal tomosynthesis screening mammogram. Breast radiologists checked cases or rescanned if needed.
Of the 616 exams, 602 were bilateral and 14 were unilateral. Technologists read the bilateral exams in 12.5 minutes on average and the unilateral exams in 5.1 minutes on average. Rechecks were performed in 10.8% of cases, and radiologist reading time averaged 3.3 minutes.
Technologist-performed handheld WBUS is a viable option for busy radiology practices screening women with dense breast tissue, according to Philpotts and colleagues.
"Technologist-performed handheld WBUS is time efficient, requiring just over 12 minutes scanning time per case," the group concluded. "As the majority of cases are normal and do not require recheck, radiologist time involvement is minimal."
