Clinical Services
Prostate Imaging Center Of Excellence
*Clinical Service has been closed and FirstScan is no longer operating (2020).
As the leading expert on MRI prostate imaging and developer of the first wearable prostate MRI coil, the PROCURE™, ScanMed is committed to furthering the cutting-edge science of MRI prostate cancer detection. Recent studies have found that the quality of the MRI scans determined by the ACR and PIRADs v2, as well as, the skill and accuracy of the interpretation varies widely. Further, many Board Certified Body Radiologists scored well below 50% in accurately interpreting even a high-quality PCa MRI. ScanMed, in coordination with FirstScan, North America’s first dedicated Secondary-Prostate-Screening-with-MRI-facility, has consistently exceeded these standards and created the Prostate Imaging Center of Excellence program to enable others to emulate this successful model.
Overcoming the Challenges of MRI PCa Diagnosis
Four key criteria must be met in order to consistently obtain quality diagnostic PCa MRI:
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An MRI system with adequate field strength (typically 1.5T or 3.0T) gradient speed (sufficient for Fast Spin Echo EPI DWI imaging), software including the aforementioned DWI, and excellent receiver chain including the MRI antenna that consistently receives signals from the prostate of men of all sizes with the highest sensitivity.
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A well-trained MRI technologist who not only can quickly and effectively set-up, but who can adjust protocols on-the-fly to accommodate for patient size, breathing motion, undesirable fat signals, etc..
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A communication means to ensure proper patient preparation prior to the exam.
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And most importantly, an “expert” for interpreting the images. Expertise is obtained ONLY by training and shadowing an expert who has read hundreds of prostates that have been “validated” with image-guided biopsies, and then overread for upwards of 100 studies or more.
In addition to obtaining quality exams and interpretations, the remaining criteria for a COE is the implementation of standardized reporting techniques as suggested by PIRADs v2, and a system in which feedback is sought from the referring physicians and urologists especially in the area of biopsy confirmations of the MRI report.
Prostate Imaging COE Service Package
* FirstScan is no longer in business.
To meet these four criteria, ScanMed offers the following services as part of our Prostate Imaging Center of Excellence program:
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Certification of the equipment, software, and protocols based upon ACR standards combined with PIRADs v2 criteria – certified by a Certified and experienced MRI Physicist. This service does not include the standard ACR accreditation efforts that all sites with ACR currently have. It is an extension of ACR applied specifically to prostate imaging.
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Validation of the clinical image quality of several test cases by our panel of radiology experts
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Training and Certification of at least one MRI Technologist per imaging facility by a certified MRT or physicist
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Certification of the Processes, procedures and reporting associated with Prostate Cancer MRI and interpretation – by the MRT and/or physicist
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Certification of the Radiologist Interpretation by members of the panel of experts and overreads
PROCURE™
PROSTATE/PELVIC COIL
The PROCURE™ dedicated prostate/pelvic MRI antenna has been physically, geometrical, and electromagnetically optimized to consistently fit on patients of varying anatomies and bring the enclosed elements as close as possible to the target anatomies within the central pelvis. It has been proven to yield between 25% and 45% signal-to-noise ratio improvement over OEM torso and body coils based upon model and age of competing design. PROCURE™ is currently compatible with all 1.5T and 3.0T GE and Siemens platforms and has been installed in numerous locations to be evaluated and compared to the endorectal probe for publication by two week respected academic institutions.
How PROCURE™ MRI Imaging
Offers Superior Diagnostics
"The current standard of care is that a man is sent for a random 12-core biopsy if he presents with the appropriate symptoms including an elevated PSA. The problem with this is that the non-image guided biopsy regime misses upwards of 50% of significant cancers! Further, it has also been proven that nearly 50% of all biopsies are unwarranted as they could have been avoided had an MRI been conducted first. A quality MRI and interpretation can differentiate between significant cancers and benign pathologies such as BPH. Cost savings add up quickly considering that the standard 12-core biopsy costs in the range of $5000 not including the undesirable side effects and potential infections as a result of endorectal biopsies." - FirstScan