News & Events
Aurora Breast MRI Immediately available to Patients In Mississippi at Hattiesburg Clinic breast Center
Hattiesburg, Miss. (August 6, 2007) – Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc. announced today that the Aurora® 1.5Tesla Dedicated Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System has been installed and is immediately available to patients in Mississippi at the Breast Center of Hattiesburg Clinic. Hattiesburg Clinic chose the Aurora Breast MRI System, the first and only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared dedicated breast MRI system, to offer patients a faster and more comfortable MRI experience, while providing physicians with one of the most advanced breast cancer detection and diagnostic imaging tools available. The unit is now located in the Breast Center as part of Hattiesburg Clinic’s new comprehensive Women’s Center.
Hattiesburg Clinic is the state’s largest multidisciplinary clinic, committed to being the healthcare provider of choice in South Mississippi. By selecting the Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System, Hattiesburg Clinic will continue its tradition of offering excellence in care and service to their patients.
“Over the years it has become evident that MRI is an absolute necessity in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer—the American Cancer Society’s recent update on breast screening guidelines reasserts what many physicians knew all along,” said William A. Whitehead, M.D., medical director, Breast Center, Hattiesburg Clinic. “We are proud that Hattiesburg Clinic is now at the forefront of the fight against breast cancer with the installation of the Aurora System, as it accurately identifies abnormalities that may be missed on other modalities. This precision gives our physicians a higher level of confidence in providing the best care for our patients, and also helps relieve some of the anxiety patients experience when faced with a breast cancer diagnosis.”
Prior to the installation of the Aurora System, Hattiesburg Clinic sent newly diagnosed breast cancer patients nearly 90 miles to Jackson, Miss., so they could receive the necessary MRI for proper treatment evaluation. This was an inconvenient and lengthy procedure as patients were only able to be screened one breast at a time, per day, on a traditional whole body MRI unit with aftermarket breast coils. The installation of the Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System provides the Center’s physicians a smoother process to accurately determine the extent of the disease, and to more quickly develop a treatment plan for each patient.
Aurora offers a truly dedicated breast MRI system that captures full coverage of both breasts, the chest wall and axillae in a single scan, without any compromise in image contrast or resolution. The Aurora System also delivers industry-leading, ultra-thin 1mm slices for superior resolution and clarity, ideal for detecting cancers that may be missed through mammography or other imaging modalities.
“Our commitment to manufacturing the highest quality MRI system for the detection of breast cancer has attracted many of the nation's finest breast centers and we are proud to partner with Hattiesburg Clinic as we expand the availability of the Aurora System throughout the U.S.,” said Olivia Ho Cheng, president and chief executive officer, Aurora.
The Aurora 1.5T Dedicated Breast MRI System is designed to be located within the breast care center where it is readily available to physicians and their patients. As a diagnostic imaging tool, the Aurora System is ideal for a wide range of indications in breast disease management including, but not limited to:
- Detecting or excluding the existence of cancer in high risk women
- Characterizing indeterminate clinical or mammographically detected abnormalities
- Determining the extent of cancer for treatment planning
- Detecting occult cancer
- Evaluating patients for residual disease following surgery
- Monitoring cancer response and the extent of residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
- Evaluating implant integrity and detecting cancer in women with breast augmentation
About Hattiesburg Clinic
Hattiesburg Clinic, a regional leader in diagnostic services and outpatient care, traces its roots to 1948 when Dr. Ramsay O'Neal, an OB-GYN physician and Dr. Glen T. Pearson, general surgeon, became partners. Together, these doctors began planning what is now the state's largest multi-specialty clinic. For three decades, Hattiesburg Clinic has embodied the concept of a functional, efficient and attractive medical center.
Instrumental in developing a broad range of patient services for a service area of more than 400,000, Hattiesburg Clinic is a physician-owned group practice with more than 180 physicians representing almost every medical specialty. In addition, the clinic employs more than 1,100 professional staff members.
The geographic scope of clinic operations has also grown with the establishment of 16 family practice satellite clinics in Hattiesburg and surrounding communities including Collins, Columbia, Ellisville, Heidelberg, Lake Serene, Petal, Poplarville, Prentiss, Purvis, Runnlestown, Seminary, Sumrall and Wiggins. In addition, dialysis units are located in Hattiesburg, Bay Springs, Collins, Columbia, Laurel, Picayune, Richton, Tylertown, Waynesboro and Wiggins.
About Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc.
Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc. (www.auroramri.com) is a private company based in North Andover, Massachusetts committed to expanding the fight against breast cancer. We are committed to the manufacture of the highest quality and most cost-effective breast MRI solutions in partnership with the nation's finest breast care centers to provide the ultimate in the detection, diagnosis, biopsy and treatment of breast cancer. The Aurora System is in clinical use at a growing number of leading breast care centers.
Media Contact:
Debbie Thomas, VP Marketing
978-975-7530 ext. 4334
dthomas@auroramri.com
< Back to News & Events |
