News
Attention: Business/Financial Editors
The Medipattern Corporation ("Medipattern" or the "Company") (TSX
VENTURE:MKI), a pioneer in the development of medical imaging software
solutions that help medical practitioners to better understand lesions
and critical anatomy, announced today that the Company is the
exclusive distributor for SonoCine@'s Automated Whole Breast
Ultrasound System ("AWBUS") in Canada. AWBUS is used as an adjunct to
mammography for breast cancer screening. AWBUS automatically acquires
a sequence of ultrasound images which completely capture all of the
breast tissue as individually focused slices compared to mammography
which captures the breast in two compressed planes. SonoCine recently
received Canadian Medical Devices Conformity Assessment System
(CMDCAS) approval from Health Canada as a class II medical device and
is available for immediate sales in Canada. The first system will be
installed this week at Clinique Radiologique Audet in Quebec City. The
product is offered on a capital purchase or a fee-per-procedure basis.
AWBUS, when used as an adjunct to mammography, was shown to detect 100
percent more cancers as compared to mammography alone and is
particularly effective for women with dense breasts. Furthermore, in
that trial of over 4,400 women, radiologist reading ultrasound image
data from SonoCine found cancers that were 50 percent smaller on
average than the cancers found when reviewing mammography alone. In
addition, AWBUS has tripled the detection of cancers that are smaller
than 1 cm, which improves dramatically the prognosis of the patients.
The positive predictive value (PPV) for the biopsies resulting from
the AWBUS exams in this study was 38 percent(1) as compared to typical
positive predictive values for mammography alone of approximately 27
percent as reported by Halladay et al in 2010.(2)
"Automated whole breast ultrasound is a major breakthrough in breast
cancer screening. It allows me to review breast imaging without the
overlapping tissue intrinsic to mammography. Compression of anatomy
from various portions of the breast can distort or even hide emerging
cancers where AWBUS gives a slice by slice presentation of the breast
in a more natural appearance. It is particularly effective in finding
cancer in patients with dense breast tissue when used in conjunction
with mammography. Dense breast tissue is a key concern as it is
estimated that greater than 40 percent of the screening population
have focal dense or very dense breasts and past studies have shown
mammography to be least effective on dense breast tissue. AWBUS
reaches that portion of the population which is not well served by
screening with mammography alone," commented Nathalie Duchesne, MD, of
Head of Breast Imaging Division at Imagix Medical Network, Breast
Radiologist at Clinique Radiologique Audet and Director of The Breast
Practices. "The SonoCine System utilizes the ultrasound imaging
equipment that we already have in place at our practices. The early
cancer detection achievable with the SonoCine AWBUS examination is the
result of a number of important system characteristics. These include:
recording of the image data by a technologist for later review by a
radiologist, automating and computer controlling the screening of the
entire breast and lower axillary lymph nodes and maximizing lesion
visualization and detectability by presenting the recorded images in a
cine format, thus allowing cancers to be identified by the dynamic
disruption of normal tissue architecture between frames. I have had
the great pleasure of reviewing it in use in the United States where
it has been available since 2008. Recent approval of the system
combined with the convenient fee plan enabled our breast center to
immediately offer the procedure to our patients. Currently, automated
whole breast ultrasound screening is an optional procedure which the
patient may elect to have performed."
"Medipattern has been our collaborative software partner for many
years. Medipattern developed software for our image viewer and we
worked together on integrating B-CAD in our software," commented
SonoCine founder Kevin Kelly, MD. "They know our system well and can
provide superb product support as well as sales. Medipattern has a
commitment to excellence that we have admired and respected for years.
We are pleased to be bringing the product to the Canadian market
through Medipattern."
"Medipattern was initially established to tackle identifying fast
moving breast cancer at an earlier stage. Medipattern developed one of
the earliest whole breast systems back in 2001, well before its time
for market acceptance. For us, working with SonoCine is a return to
that goal. Our team developed a close relationship with the SonoCine
team during their product development phase. Today, the market is well
positioned and much more appreciative and receptive to the benefits of
whole breast ultrasound through SonoCine's dynamic automation
technology. Our understanding of the inherent technology used in the
device enables us to better support, sell and distribute SonoCine,"
commented Jeff Collins, CEO of Medipattern. "AWBUS adds to our
existing product line and re-emphasizes our commitment to women's
health. B-CAD has been shown to help physicians better characterize
breast lesions and under clinical study, reduce the number of breast
biopsies while still correctly identifying the cancers.(3) Medipattern
will receive commission on a per procedure basis for AWBUS which will
commence immediately following the first installation. We are actively
working with a dedicated group to establish breast centers in all of
the metropolitan cities in Canada using SonoCine. Broadening our
women's health product offering will add to revenue growth as we
continue through calendar year 2012. In mid-April, the site in Quebec
City will broadcast live cases via satellite to The Breast Course 2012
in Lisbon, Portugal; where there will be more than 325 participants
from 42 countries. Dr. Duchesne is slated to speak about the benefits
of AWBUS at a poster session during the upcoming Canadian Association
of Radiologists (CAR) in April. Please visit www.sonocine.com to learn
more about this valuable service and hear what patients and doctors
are saying about the SonoCine System."
(1) Kevin M. Kelly, MD, Judy Dean, MD, W. Scott Comulada, Sung-Jae
Lee, "Breast cancer detection: radiologists' performance using
mammography with and without automated whole-breast ultrasound"
(http://sonocine.com/Reader_Study.pdf(http://sonocine.com/Reader_Study.pdf)),
Eur Radiol (2010) 20: 2557-2564
(2) Halladay, Yankaskas, Bowling and Alexander, "Positive Predictive
Value of Mammography: Comparison of Interpretations of Screening and
Diagnostic Images by the Same Radiologist and by Different
Radiologists" AJR Am J Roentgenol
(http://media3.marketwire.com/r/hayaboal(http://media3.marketwire.com/r/hayaboal)).
2010 Sep; 195(3):782-5
(3) O'Donoghue, "Characterization by computer-aided detection (CAD) of
breast lesions imaged using ultrasound"
(http://media3.marketwire.com/r/odonoghue(http://media3.marketwire.com/r/odonoghue))
Diagnostic Imaging Europe, August 2011
Upcoming Events
Annual Meeting - MHA June 6 - 7, 2012 Brewster, MA
SVU/SVS Annual Conference June 7 - 9, 2012 Baltimore, MD
About the SonoCine AWBU system and SonoCine, Inc:
The SonoCine system was invented and engineered specifically for
integration with standard ultrasound scanners to provide radiologists
with an effective, systematic and automated screening examination for
the early detection of mammographically occult breast cancers in
asymptomatic women.
The high cancer detection performance reported by clinical users of
SonoCine AWBU is the result of a number of important system
characteristics. These include separating the image data acquisition
from the radiologist's review, automating and computer-controlling the
screening of the entire breast and lower axillary lymph nodes, and
maximizing lesion visualization and detectability using the company's
proprietary dynamic review software. The risk-free procedure is fully
documented, quality-controlled and pain-free.
Unlike mammography, the SonoCine AWBU procedure requires no breast
compression or x-ray radiation, and unlike MRI and MBI/BSGI, it
requires neither a contrast agent, nor a radioactive tracer.
Based in Reno, NV, SonoCine, Inc., is a privately owned research,
development and manufacturing company with focus on early breast
cancer detection.
About the Medipattern Corporation:
Medipattern@ is a pioneer in the development of imaging software
solutions that help medical practitioners to better understand lesions
and critical anatomy. Medipattern uses its Cadenza technology to
process images, finding the salient region of interest and presenting
them in 2D and 3D formats that enhance the reader's perception. For
more information, please visit the Company's website:
Medipattern@ is a registered trademark of The Medipattern Corporation.
Cadenza is a trademark of the Medipattern Corporation. SonoCine@ is a
registered trademark of SonoCine, Inc.
Forward-looking statements
This document contains forward-looking statements relating to
Medipattern's performance, operations, or business environment. These
statements are based on what we believe are reasonable assumptions
given currently available information and our understanding of
Medipattern's current activities. We have tried, whenever possible, to
identify these forward-looking statements using words such as
"anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "plans," "intends,"
"potential," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and
uncertainties that are difficult to predict or control. A number of
factors could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially
from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These factors
include but are not limited to those set forth in the Company's
corporate filings (posted at www.sedar.com). In addition, these
forward-looking statements relate to the date on which they are made.
The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements for any reason. Readers should not rely
on forward-looking statements.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider
(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
