Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Advances in breast biopsy are the focus this week in our Women's Imaging Digital Community, where we're featuring articles on a new robotic breast biopsy device and an alternative to breast phantoms that's as close as your corner produce store.
In the first story, staff writer Wayne Forrest explains work under way at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge to develop a robotic device that can be used for both CT lung and breast biopsies. The advantage of such a system is that it would enable radiologists to conduct CT-guided biopsies without having to enter the imaging suite.
The group plans to begin testing the device on animal cadavers and hopes to eventually develop a commercial product. Learn more about their endeavors by clicking here.
In our second article, a group from the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham found an intriguing alternative to expensive commercial breast phantoms: eggplant. The group reports that the radiographic appearance of eggplant closely resembles that of breast tissue, and eggplant phantoms can be produced for one-tenth the cost of commercial phantoms, according to a story by staff writer Shalmali Pal.
But eggplant-based phantoms do have a downside, which you can learn about by clicking here. Or, visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community, at women.auntminnie.com.
