Fast mammographic screening

Radiologists and data analysts at University Hospital Zurich have developed a device enabling mammograms to be analyzed more quickly. This is a great help for doctors.

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Doris Stallmann* is relieved. The results of her mammogram were ready in a matter of minutes. She can now be certain that the results of the scan are negative. The fifty-year old deliberately chose University Hospital Zurich (USZ) for this, her first mammogram. She wanted to avoid a situation a friend of hers had ended up in: having to have a second scan because the results of the first were so unclear.

“Waiting for a mammogram to be analyzed is an emotional strain for many patients,” Andreas Boss acknowledges. The Senior Attending Physician at the USZ Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology joined forces with two physicists and data analysts, Alexander Ciritsis and Cristina Rossi, to develop what they call the “b-box.” It’s a device that can analyze and classify the image quality of mammograms and evaluate breast density, an important indicator in the diagnosis of cancer.

At the heart of the b-box is an intelligent, self-learning algorithm that was trained on the basis of 30,000 mammograms. “For example the b-box can recognize on its own whether high breast density requires an additional ultrasound, or whether the scan should be redone because the breast wasn’t positioned optimally,” explains Boss. This way the b-box supports physicians in their work.

The b-box has been in use in radiology at USZ since July 2018. It’s being evaluated, and so far has proven its worth. It was also used for Doris Stallmann’s mammogram. Thanks to a gift to the USZ Foundation from the SYMPHASIS Foundation, Andreas Boss, Alexander Ciritsis, and Cristina Rossi are now able to launch the spin-off «b-rayZ» with the aim of being able to offer the b-box to other hospitals in Switzerland and abroad in the future – so that even more women like Doris Stallmann can benefit.

*anonymized

100% financed

SYMPHASIS Foundation