Portsmouth improves accessibility to community breast screening for patients with restricted mobility

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has expanded its symptomatic and breast screening services with the installation of five Mammomat Revelation mammography systems from Siemens Healthineers, across community and hospital settings. Covering Queen Alexandra Hospital and Oak Park Community Clinic, the trust now benefits from features designed to overcome diagnostic challenges, enabling accessible screening for all demographics of women.

Following the installation of the Mammomat Revelation systems, the trust can offer increased capacity for extended time appointments during clinics at a new static site for patients in wheelchairs or with restricted movement. The system is designed to perform mammography on most patients, with features including a wide range of vertical movement, a thin detector cover and a small footprint.

“The mammography team has quickly taken to the Mammomat Revelation due to its user-friendly interface, reliability and image quality,” said breast superintendent radiographer Victoria Bremner. “We’re eager to see the impact that the system’s features will have on patient uptake in community settings due to the added convenience of extra-time clinics for patients in wheelchairs or with restricted movement.”

The system allows mammographers to see more at low dose, reducing unnecessary radiation exposure for breast tissue in routine screening patients. With plans to achieve up to 48 appointments a day at the community site, the systems will be used for non-symptomatic and symptomatic patients, as the trust works on recovering the breast service after COVID-19. Siemens says the 50° wide angle tomosynthesis has the highest depth resolution and mass detectability on the market, which allows breast tissue to be imaged with minimal overlap.

Picture: Senior radiographer Clare Fouracre, breast superintendent radiographer Victoria Bremner, Siemens Healthineers mammography product specialist Shelley Mitchell, consultant mammographer Rebecca Church, radiographic departmental assistant Yvette Vokes and consultant radiologist Dr Robert Dickens.

Published on page 11 of the March 2023 issue of RAD Magazine.