Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) diagnosed on core biopsy is associated with an upgrade risk to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive carcinoma on surgical excision.

The intra-operative use of the 3D specimen tomosynthesis function could potentially save 20-50% of patients from a second operation. This would lead to a significant improvement in patient outcomes and a reduction in the cost of healthcare provision.

Use of the 3D specimen tomosynthesis slices intra-operatively could reduce re-excision rates compared to 2D composite view by 20% when images are reviewed by the surgeon alone intraoperatively. If a breast radiologist were to report the 3D images intra-operatively, 50% of patients could have avoided re-excision. This would lead to a significant improvement in patient outcomes and a reduction in healthcare provision costs.

Breast specimen radiography is essential to ensure adequate excision of lesions of interest. Intra-operative breast specimen radiography by surgeons is a safe and reliable technique with a shorter total operative time. This study encourages a shift towards surgeons utilizing intra-operative specimen radiography in breast surgery.

The XPERT 80 and XPERT 80-L by KUBTEC are self-contained X-ray imaging systems for surgical pathology specimens. The XPERT 80 system provides a large 23 x 29 cm detector and is not limited to breast specimens, including paraffin blocks, bone, etc.

The use of intraoperative 3D specimen X-ray reduced the relative risk of re-excision rate by 41% (P=0.01) without any negative impact on other parameters.