News & Events

Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System now accessible in
Pacific Northwest at Overlake Breast MRI

Bellevue, Wash. (June 21, 2007) – Overlake Breast MRI (OBMRI) today announced that patients in the Pacific Northwest now have immediate access to the Aurora® 1.5T Dedicated Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System.  The Aurora System is the only FDA cleared dedicated breast MRI system that has been specifically designed for 3-D bilateral breast imaging and OBMRI is the first facility in the Pacific Northwest currently offering the Aurora System.

 “I don’t believe there are other MRI systems that can offer better image quality and resolution than the Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System,” said David Magaram, M.D., Director, OBMRI.  “The Aurora images are excellent—at our center, it has detected many cancers that would not have been found any other way.”

The Aurora System provides more accurate detection and diagnosis for the treatment of breast cancer, while also offering optimum patient comfort for women with the first patient table designed specifically for breast imaging.  “When we opted to obtain an MRI system at our facility, we had no use for a whole body unit because we are exclusively a breast center,” continued Dr. Magaram.  “Having the Aurora dedicated breast MRI system has positively impacted the care we provide our patients in large part due to the comfort provided by the Aurora table that was designed specifically to fit a woman’s body.”

The Aurora System’s table design provides the largest access to breasts and the feet-first entry minimizes feelings of claustrophobia. Patients rest comfortably on the massage-type table contoured specifically for breast anatomy.  Such patient comfort also greatly minimizes the risk of patients movement and thus, motion artifacts on the images are reduced.  Patients lie prone, with arms forward and down for comfort, with their breasts suspended away from their chest.  Since the Aurora System was installed at OBMRI, it has served nearly 500 patients in the Pacific Northwest.

 “We are thrilled to see that more facilities are selecting the dedicated breast MRI system for the exclusive use of breast imaging,” said Olivia Ho Cheng, president and chief executive officer, Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc.  “The unique anatomy of a woman was a primary consideration when designing the Aurora System.  We are proud to say that Aurora is aiding in the fight against breast cancer by providing doctors with advanced imaging, and patients with the most comfortable breast MRI experience possible.”

The Aurora System is designed to be located within the breast care center where it is readily available to specialized physicians and their patients.  As a diagnostic imaging tool, the Aurora® 1.5T Dedicated Breast MRI 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 Overlake Breast MRI
Conveniently located in Bellevue, Washington on the Overlake Hospital Medical Center campus, OBMRI is first in the Pacific Northwest to offer a fully integrated MRI system designed specifically for breast imaging.  OBMRI provides unprecedented imaging quality and biopsy capabilities with the Aurora Dedicated Breast MRI System and presents excellent service to patients and referring physicians, offering an experienced, supportive staff, same day scheduling, 24-hour turn-around, timely consultation and on-site radiologists specializing in breast imaging.

About Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc.
Aurora Imaging Technology, Inc. is a private company based in North Andover, Massachusetts committed to expanding the fight against breast cancer.  Aurora strives to manufacture the highest quality and most cost-effective breast MRI solutions and partners with a growing number of 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 in the US, Europe and Asia.  For a location nearest you, visit www.auroramri.com.

Media Contact:
Debbie Thomas, VP Marketing
978-975-7530 ext. 4334
dthomas@auroramri.com

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