BK BLOG

The Role of Awareness and Ultrasound in Early Detection

Unlike other markets or fields that are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand, the healthcare industry is driven by an unwavering commitment to providing the best possible care for patients. Urologists, in particular, recognize the profound significance of this mission. From performing targeted biopsies and developing minimally invasive treatment plans, urologists devote considerable effort to delivering optimal care.

Recently, we spoke with Dr. Jos J. Immerzeel, the radiation oncologist at Andros Mannenkliniek (The Andros Men’s Health Institutes) in Amsterdam. Dr. Immerzeel uses bkFusion to plan and guide transperineal prostate biopsies using local anesthesia, which you can read about here.

For Dr. Immerzeel, an MR-ultrasound fusion biopsy using bkFusion takes approximately 20 minutes, and patients usually spend less than an hour at the clinic. One reason for the short procedure time is that the MRI contours have been done beforehand, so the patient spends very little time on the table.

Dr. Jos Immerzeel has performed over 1000 MR-ultrasound prostate biopsy procedures using bkFusion. He currently carries out bkFusion procedures at Andros Mannenkliniek in Amsterdam, and his preferred method is transperineal (TP) biopsies with local anesthesia.

Predictive Fusion^TM  is powered by MIMReslicer which reslices and reorients supine MRI images to LLD or Lithotomy position during the Radiology review thus addressing registration errors before the procedure.  Unlike rigid and elastic fusion, which attempt to correct errors after the ultrasound is acquired, Predictive Fusion removes errors before acquiring the ultrasound. How? Using a proprietary on-screen tool, the radiologist reslices and reorients the MRI images to the expected biopsy position, as a result, the registration process typically requires seconds. Predictive Fusion allows you to adjust and correct before taking a biopsy and was designed to fit your traditional biopsy workflow, requiring minimal extra steps and providing a fusion you can trust.

Today, we have exciting news to share. BK Ultrasound launched the all new bkSpecto ultrasound system in the urology market.

The new bkSpecto ultrasound system is the latest member of the BK Ultrasound product family. It comes complete with what you’d expect from a BK system — superior imaging capabilities that enable real-time image guidance with an easy-to-use, mobile platform — plus a few new things. Launching first into the urology market, learn how it will help push the boundaries in your urology practice.

In this video, Prostate cancer survivor Allen Wynn describes how he feels that having a doctor who uses cutting edge technology made a difference to him when he was diagnosed with a prostate cancer that required treatment. PSA tests and Digital Rectal Exams are important tools for prostate screening but often raise as many questions as they answer. Systematic biopsies don’t always give enough information to be conclusive. Fusing real-time ultrasound images with pre-exam MRI data gives you better guidance to help accurately target lesions identified in the MRI images, potentially reducing the risk of missing high-grade tumors or under-staging tumors for active surveillance. Watch this video to learn more about the bkFusion system.  

Predictive Fusion™ is the new technology in bkFusion for prostate MRI Fusion biopsies.
BK Ultrasound has partnered with MIM Software to bring advanced fusion software to urologists. Predictive Fusion™ saves time and reduces your procedure steps by eliminating the need to draw ultrasound prostate contours. Watch this video for an introduction to Predictive Fusion™.