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Ethicon Endo-Surgery introduces new universal Mammotome® MR Biopsy System - a next generation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) breast biopsy device. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, announced the launch of the Universal Mammotome® MR Biopsy System, its next generation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) breast biopsy device that has all the features of the company's first Mammotome® MR and is compatible with a wider variety of breast coils and magnets and can work with most grid/cube localization systems, the most common method of MR lesion targeting.

The Mammotome® MR Universal Targeting Set is designed for fast and easy set up, can be used with most grid localization systems and has a unique imageable aperture that allows physicians to visually verify the placement of the probe relative to the targeted lesions.

In addition, the Mammotome® MR Universal has a depth locking system called the 'Z-lock' that provides stability and maintains consistent depth during sampling. Multiple needle lengths and probe sizes allow for maximum breast access and rapid tissue acquisition based on individual patient/lesion characteristics. Anesthesia can be administered throughout the procedure using its targeting set and vacuum tubing.

"Having the option of either pillar and post or grid for MR procedures is an improvement over existing options for MR-guided breast biopsy," says Mary Mahoney, MD, director, Breast Imaging, University of Cincinnati.

"Mammotome® is one of the most widely used devices in minimally invasive breast biopsy, and now we can offer it to more patients at high risk for breast cancer. I appreciate the simplicity this next generation system offers, and that it is compatible with our existing system," she adds.

According to guidelines issued in March 2007 by the American Cancer Society (ACS), women with a 20-25 per cent or greater lifetime risk of breast cancer, including women with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer and women who were treated for Hodgkin's Disease, should get a screening MRI every year along with routine mammograms.

The ACS further said these "recommendations are conditional on an acceptable level of quality of MRI screening which should be performed by experienced providers in facilities that provide MRI-guided biopsy for the follow up of any suspicious results”.

A procedure with the Mammotome® MR Biopsy System involves the single insertion of a needle equipped with a vacuum device into a quarter-inch incision (about the size of a match head). Under MRI guidance, the device gently vacuums, cuts and partially or completely removes suspicious breast tissue for evaluation.

The biopsy incision is so small that only an adhesive bandage is needed to cover it, no sutures are required, and there is minimal scarring. Most patients return to normal activity immediately following the procedure. The outpatient procedure can be performed in an MRI suite and typically takes an average of 30 minutes.

The Mammotome® MR Biopsy System can be purchased in its entirety or as an upgrade to an existing Mammotome® Biopsy System. Convenient 'procedure kits' provide customers with a single package equipped with the disposable Mammotome® components required to biopsy and mark the biopsy site; the kits are compatible with either the original Mammotome® pillar/post system or the new Mammotome® MR for simple lesion biopsy.

"Screening MRIs and MRI-guided breast biopsies have become important detection and diagnostic techniques as evidenced by the recent American Cancer Society recommendations," says Bonnie Rib, Vice President, Breast Care, Ethicon Endo-Surgery. "Ethicon Endo-Surgery is uniquely positioned to help doctors and their patients realize the benefits of this technology.