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Breast MRI Biopsy Positioning and Immobilization Device

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Customizable breast immobilization device that aims to create safe pathways for a biopsy of the breast tissue for patients of all breast sizes.

Design Award

  • Tong Biomedical Design Award Winner

News About this Project

Project Overview

An estimated 280,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2021 in the US alone, along with 50,000 new non-invasive breast cancer diagnoses[1]. Ultrasounds and mammograms are first choice in breast cancer screening, but for patients that are at a high risk for breast cancer Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) breast scans are used. Although MRI is incredibly precise and effective at detecting cancer when it is able to be used properly, physicians struggle to obtain precise biopsies on patients with thinner breast tissue. This occurs because the current MRI table does not apply sufficient compression against the grid for patients that have less breast tissue. There is no current commercial device in existence designed specifically to solve this issue, and the makeshift methods currently being used are unsustainable and inefficient. Therefore the goal of this project is to create a reusable device that provides diverse lateral or medial compression to breast tissues of all sizes, ranging from A to DD cup sizes, in an efficient manner that decreases scan set-up time. The team ultimately devised two potential prototypes: the inflatable bladder and the hinge device. Due to restrictions in resources, the bladder was unable to be fabricated at this time. Testing was, however, able to be performed on the hinge design. To test the efficacy of this design, testing was performed to analyze the ability of it to compress targeted breast areas on a phantom breast and mock coil. The results of these tests ultimately revealed significant improvement in the area of breast available for biopsy after compression from the device. Therefore the team determined the proposed final design will successfully meet the needs of the client and promote scan efficiency in a clinical setting, and is ready for testing on human patients.

Team Picture

Team photo
Team photo

Contact Information

Team Members

  • Claire Swartz - Co-Team Leader
  • Samuel Herzog - Co-Team Leader & BSAC
  • Emma Brower - Communicator
  • Cameron Ashford - BWIG
  • Helen Treankler - BPAG

Advisor and Client

  • Prof. Walter Block - Advisor
  • Dr. Lonie Salkowski - Client

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