Brookwood Baptist Medical Center Continuing to Utilize Koning Vera Breast CT

In March of 2023, Brookwood Baptist Medical Center became the first, and remains the only, hospital in the state of Alabama with a Koning Vera Breast CT.

Unlike whole-body CT scanners, the Koning Vera Breast CT is a smaller and faster device dedicated only to the breast that produces a true three-dimensional image of the breast tissue without uncomfortable or painful compression, and with a similar radiation range to diagnostic mammograms.

To utilize the Koning Vera Breast CT, a patient lies on the table face down with one breast suspended in an opening while the imaging device rotates one time about the breast in seven seconds. The patient would then shift to the other side and have the second breast scanned in seven seconds as well.

The machine will then develop isotropically accurate images of the breast, allowing for the detection of early-stage cancers.

Brookwood physicians have been utilizing the technology for nearly a year, and Dr. April Maddux said it has led to positive outcomes for some patients.

“Being able to offer compression-free scans is wonderful” Maddux said. “We’ve been able to find issues in some cases earlier and easier than we may have with traditional scans. It’s really been a huge positive for us and our patients.”

Kelly Reese, a Brookwood patient who has undergone scans on the machine, recently told WBRC Fox 6 that she was glad to have the Breast CT available in her community.

“I knew about this innovative procedure, so I was excited to have that available to me with having dense breast tissue,” Reese said. “Often times you feel something may be missed and, in my case, it was benign after biopsy. I was happy to get those results.”

For more information on the Koning Vera Breast CT at Brookwood, please visit https://www.brookwoodwomensmedicalcenter.com/services/breastctscan