Naviscan has received approval from the Colombian Ministry of Health for the commercial introduction of its positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner into Colombia.
The scanner uses PET technology to produce tomographic images that allow physicians to visualize breast tumors down to 2 mm, the width of a grain of rice. The scanner is the size of a mammography unit and uses gentle breast immobilization, allowing for greater patient comfort, as well as reducing motion artifact and improving image resolution.
Partnering with Nuclear Medicine Distributors (NMD), Naviscan has shipped its first PEM scanner to Colombia this month, which will be installed at University Hospital of the Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, a prestigious Latin American healthcare institution. Additional units are scheduled to be shipped during 2010, said the company.
Paul Mirabella, chairman and CEO of Naviscan, said: “With the approval by the Colombian regulatory officials, Naviscan’s globalization strategy continues its momentum. Coupled with our sales in Korea, Venezuela and Japan, we are excited by the growth we are experiencing in international markets.”
Roberto Esguerra, chairman of Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, said: “The arrival of the PEM scanner to our institution reaffirms our commitment to the Colombian people of incorporating the most advanced technology available that provides important contributions to the health of individuals, in this case for women with breast cancer.”
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Naviscan develops and markets compact, high-resolution PET scanners intended to provide organ-specific molecular imaging, guide radiological and surgical procedures and advance new clinical therapies.