Fear of pain is one of the most common reasons why women do not schedule a mammogram. A recent study conducted by Evans, et.al, found that painful exams explain why 25 to 46 per cent1 of women failed to return for further breast imaging.
This week on What She Said, we spoke with Heather Chalmers, the Canadian General Manager of GE Healthcare about the launch of the Senographe Pristina™ in their commitment to fighting breast cancer by encouraging early detection.
Senographe Pristina features a range of ergonomic features that are intentionally designed to enable patients to be more comfortable. All parts in contact with the patient’s breasts, for example, have gentle, rounded corners for greater comfort. The system features comfortable armrests that relax the pectoral muscles to simplify positioning, compression and image acquisition.
Traditional mammography systems compress the breast automatically, which can be a source of considerable discomfort. Senographe Pristina features a self-compression tool that helps give women a sense of control by allowing them to manually adjust the degree of breast compression. Under the direction of a technologist, the patient can set compression to a level that feels right for them.
Watch our full interview with Heather Chalmers below to learn more about the Senographe Pristina™:
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-OrDdKICzc” width=”500″ height=”300″]
1 Whelehan P, Evans A, Wells M, Macgillivray S. The effect of mammography pain on repeat participation in breast cancer screening: a systematic review. Breast. 2013; 22(4):389–94.