BARCO : 3 ways color improves breast imaging

The use of color in medical imaging continues to evolve. But what are the real benefits of color in breast imaging, and how can radiologists make the most of color to enhance their reading performance? Here are 3 ways color improves breast imaging:

Color extends upon standard images to provide additional information on what makes the image dynamic, allowing clinicians to hone in on specific elements of interest. Color contrast can be used to highlight an image's functional features, so radiologists can see not only the anatomical image, but also its functional behaviors, such as the speed and intensity at which blood is entering tissue.

Accessibility to color improves radiologists' reading efficiency and speed of working. Identifying functional processes without color requires scrolling through multiple (sometimes thousands) of images, to ascertain the contrast of different shades of black and white. With the use of color, both functional and structural elements of an image can be easily targeted and highlighted, saving radiologists' time and enhancing reading efficiency.

The use of color can assist radiologists with the comparison and fusion of images. When merging two images, the combination of two black and white images can make it difficult to identify which is which. Placing color on top of black and white makes the differentiation clearer and the fused result easier to see. Adding color to a mammography display also allows radiologists to compare multiple modalities, e.g. mammograms with breast ultrasounds or MRI, for a more accurate diagnosis of the breast tissue.

Barco's Coronis Uniti^TM display allows viewing of both color medical images and mammograms on the same screen. It's the only diagnostic display cleared for multi-modality breast imaging. It comes with color calibration to guarantee consistent, perceptually linear color so radiologists can rely on the diagnostic value of color in every image.