Along with UVa breast surgeons David Brenin, MD and Annek Schroen, MD we are investigating the use of radiomarkers for guidance during surgery of nonpalpable breast tumors. The radiomarkers consist of a small volume (about 50 microliters) of macroaggregated albumin labeled with a radioisotope. The marker is placed in the tumor using image guidance via the dual modality tomosynthesis scanner, equipped with an an attached 3-dimensional needle translation stage. Stereotactic dual modality imaging is then used to verify radiomarker placement, and to image the excised surgical specimen. Breast surgeons use a combination of non-imaging probes and small mobile gamma cameras to localize the tumor.
In Vivo and Post Excisional Dual Modality Surgical Guidance Images |
Dual Modality Surgical Guidance (DMSG) Scanner |
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Pre-operative dual modality image of the breast and radiomarker immediately after placement (left), and post-surgical dual modality image of the excised surgical specimen. This was the first case in the study so wire localization was also used as a fallback guidance method. |
Photograph of imaging system used to pre-operatively place the radiomarker in the breast lesion. |
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