GE Healthcare is unveiling its brand new Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) 2.0 in the U.S. It is the only FDA approved “ultrasound supplemental breast screening technology,” which allows for spotting of cancerous lesions within dense breast tissue, according to GE.

Since dense breast tissue is similar in density to tumours, the two can be hard to differentiate using a mammogram. At the same time, dense breast tissue is a risk factor for the development of breast cancer, so the two facts together compound the problem for about 40% of women with dense breasts.

According to GE, its ABUS technology, when used along with mammography “can improve breast cancer detection by 55 percent over mammography alone.”

The new device automates a lot of what was previously a manual process, such as setting focal zones and gain. There’s no image modification required at all from the operator, so regardless of who is using the machine the results stay consistent.

The system still delivers compression similar to a mammogram, but it’s applied different and while the patient lies on her back.

“We believe ABUS can help clinicians find significantly more cancers than mammography alone, especially in women with dense breasts,” said Luke Delaney, general manager of Automated Breast Ultrasound at GE Healthcare, in a published statement. “As breast ultrasound technology continues to advance, we are investing to continually improve image quality, workflow and patient comfort – all of which contribute to early detection and improved outcomes.”