From the Reading Room to Operating Room: Retrospective Data and Pictorial Review After 806 SCOUT Placements

Abstract

ObjectiveNon-wire localization techniques are becoming more common. SCOUT surgical guidance system has been shown to increase flexibility in scheduling patients for surgery. The objective of this article is to provide institutional experiences with pictorial review after placement of 806 SCOUT devices. Materials and methodsRadiology procedure reports of SCOUT device placements from January 11, 2018 to May 19, 2020 were reviewed to assess demographics of patient population, imaging method of placement, size of reflector delivery system used, placement approach, and time spent in the radiology suite or Turn Around Time (TAT). TAT was compared to that of wire placement using a Two-tailed Mann-Whitney U Test. Reports were assessed for those with absent signal at time of placement. In cases where signal was absent, migration was found, or complications noted, further case review was performed using the Electronic Medical Record to assess whether the devices were successfully retrieved. ResultsThere were 806 total SCOUT placements identified from radiology procedure reports in patients aged 12-92 with 64.3% (518/806) placed using ultrasound-guidance and 35.7% (288/806) by mammographic-guidance. The most common delivery device was a 7.5 cm needle. Only 0.9% (7/806) of SCOUT reflectors were >1cm from target, all of which were successfully excised. After radiology placement, signal was not heard in 1.4% (9/806) of cases and individual case review revealed that all were successfully excised. In 2019, TATs of SCOUT procedures were significantly lower than TATs from wire localizations (P = 0.00024). ConclusionsSCOUT localization for breast surgery can provide solutions to problems encountered by patients and providers. A year after implementation, SCOUT use was found to result in shorter TATs in radiology. In addition, 100% of devices that were either migrated or inaudible at the time of radiology placement were successfully excised.