At Petaluma Valley Hospital, new breast biopsy system reduces stress and recovery time

_{Dr. Anusuya Mokashi stands with the Brevera^® system at Petaluma Valley Hospital, which has helped streamline the process for breast biopsies.}

Breast cancer biopsies are always stressful, but there are ways to improve the patient’s comfort and help doctors ease patients’ concerns. At Petaluma Valley Hospital, the Brevera breast biopsy system is now in place to provide minimally invasive biopsies. As Dr. Anusuya Mokashi, director of mammography and chief of staff at Petaluma Valley Hospital, explains, the system also helps clinicians like her stay closer to their patients during the biopsy process.

“As soon as we remove a sample, it’s imaged instantly in an integrated imaging box right in the procedure room, allowing us to confirm whether we’ve accurately targeted the area of concern,” says Dr. Mokashi. “We can immediately verify that we’ve obtained tissue from the exact location we intended within the breast. This means we can complete procedures more efficiently and confidently, which allows us to schedule more patients. It’s also better for patient care when I don’t have to leave the patient’s side during the procedure.”

"The Brevera system helps us complete procedures more efficiently and confidently." - Dr. Anusuya Mokashi director of mammography and chief of staff at Petaluma Valley Hospital

A better way to biopsy

The Brevera^® system, brought to Petaluma Valley Hospital in part by the Louis Von Arb Cancer Innovation Fund, combines tissue acquisition, real-time imaging and advanced specimen separation to streamline breast biopsies. 

“Before this technology, our biopsies required two separate rooms and systems,” explains Dr. Mokashi. “After obtaining breast tissue samples, we’d have to leave the patient — who remained compressed in the mammogram device — and walk to an adjacent room to X-ray the samples. There, we’d check whether we’d successfully captured the suspicious calcifications that might indicate breast cancer. Only then could we return to the patient and either collect additional samples if we were off-target, possibly requiring repositioning, or let them know we’d finished the procedure.”

The waiting is often the most challenging part for patients who need a breast biopsy. Dr. Mokashi shared, “First, there’s the wait to schedule the procedure, which we can now reduce by seeing more patients thanks to shorter procedure times. Then there’s the anxiety during the procedure itself while waiting to confirm whether the biopsy was successful.

The Brevera system significantly improves both of these waiting periods. Being able to stay in the room with my patients throughout the entire procedure, rather than stepping away to check samples, helps reduce their stress and anxiety. It creates a more supportive and efficient experience for everyone.”

Learn more about the imaging services at Petaluma Valley Hospital at providence.org/petalumaimaging.