Sigmascreening
Sigmascreening makes breast cancer screening less painful and more reliable, with a compression paddle that is guided by the pressure women feel rather than by force.
”Sigmascreening is a spin-off of the Academic Medical Center (now Amsterdam UMC), founded by radiologist Prof. Ard den Heeten and Professor of Medical Technology Prof. Kees Grimbergen. During a mammogram, the breast is compressed to obtain a good image with as little radiation as possible. Standard equipment controls the force applied rather than the pressure the woman actually feels: as a result, smaller breasts are often compressed harder than necessary, and because there is no international guideline, compression varies from one technician to the next. Sigmascreening developed the Sensitive Sigma Paddle, a patented compression paddle that measures pressure and adapts to the size, shape and firmness of the breast. LED lights show in real time when the right pressure has been reached. Research led by Radboud University Medical Center showed that this raised the sensitivity of the examination from around 87% to 93.9%. The technology is used in 22 hospitals across Europe.
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