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Katherine Willer, DO, MS
Katherine Willer, DO, MS, Upstate’s Section Chief for Women’s Imaging, points to a Savi Scout reflector, placed in a woman’s breast prior to a lumpectomy.

Savi Scout

SCOUT® Wire-Free Radar Localization System is the world’s first and only wire-free RADAR breast tumor localization system. And the Upstate Cancer Center is the only hospital in Central New York using this advanced wireless technology, commonly referred to as Savi Scout.

SCOUT uses non-radioactive, radar technology to provide real-time surgical guidance during breast surgery. Rather than placing a wire immediately before surgery, a SCOUT reflector is placed in the target tissue prior to the day of surgery at the patient’s convenience. During surgery, the SCOUT guide uses real-time distance measurement guidance to accurately detect the location of the SCOUT reflector—and the tumor to within 1mm of accuracy.

The ability to precisely locate tumors may increase the probability of complete cancer removal and reduce the likelihood of needing follow-up surgeries—a huge advantage for early-stage breast cancer patients. In addition, the ability to strategically plan the incision may result in better cosmetic outcomes. SCOUT is also used to effectively localize lymph nodes prior to neoadjuvant therapy and can be used with any type of imaging over the course of a patient’s care.

Prior to the development of this technology, surgeons generally relied on wire localization to locate a tumor during breast-conserving surgery.

With wire localization, a radiologist guided a thin, hooked wire through the skin to the lesion. The surgeon then used the wire to help guide the removal. The wire had to be placed the same day as the lumpectomy procedure, which required a high degree of coordination between radiology and surgical schedules. Not only did this lead to costly delays in the operating room, it often forced women to wait long periods of time with the wire in place in their breast.

Savi Scout:

  • Gives surgeons greater confidence in removing all cancerous tissue.
  • Decouples the radiology and surgical schedules, which can improve workflow and may result in more patients receiving care faster.
  • Reduces patient anxiety associated with placement of the wire on the day of surgery.
  • Enables lumpectomies to be scheduled early in the morning, which can reduce long wait times for patients who are unable to eat or drink prior to surgery.
  • Eliminates the need for wires protruding from the patient’s breast, which may lead to better patients experience.

Our Team

Ravi Adhikary, MD
Ravi Adhikary, MD
315 464-5189
Diseases/Specialties/Treatments: Diagnostic Radiology; Breast Imaging and Intervention; Breast Cancer; Breast Disease; Breast Infection; Breast Mass; more
Clinical Interests:

Breast Cancer Work Up

Associations/Memberships: American College of Radiology (ACR); Society of Breast Imaging

Lisa M Lai, MD
Lisa M Lai, MD
315 464-8224
Diseases/Specialties/Treatments: Breast Cancer; Breast Disease; Breast Mass; Breast Tenderness; Breast Biopsy; Breast Cancer Evaluation and Treatment Plan; more
Education: SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Associations/Memberships: American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBS); American College of Surgeons (ACS); American Medical Association

Katherine A Willer, DO, MS, FAOCR
Katherine A Willer, DO, MS, FAOCR
315 464-5189
Diseases/Specialties/Treatments: Radiology; Diagnostic Radiology; Computed Tomography; Breast Imaging and Intervention; Breast Disease; Breast Biopsy; more
Research Interests:

 

Elastography

AI

Breast MRI

Education Interests:

New breast imaging modalities

Clinical Interests:

Breast Imaging and Women's Imaging

Associations/Memberships: American College of Radiology (ACR); Radiological Society of North America (RSNA); Society of Breast Imaging

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