Until now, surgeons have not had the imaging clarity they need to make confident decisions in real-time.
The buzz around this new technology is not just buzz.
As a Perimeter S-Series OCT user, Dr. Tower discusses the benefits of OCT to surgeons and patients, as well as the advantages of being an early adopter.
Amelia Tower
DO, FACOS
Dr. Amelia Tower is a board-certified general surgeon with advanced fellowship training in breast surgical oncology.
Dr. Tower is Board Certified by the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons and is designated as a Fellow. She is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society of Surgical Oncology, and the Association of Women Surgeons. She has published several academic papers and book chapters on breast research and has made multiple presentations at national conferences.
Dr. Tower serves at the Medical Director of the NAPBC-accredited Breast Program at Texas Health Harris Methodist in Fort Worth, as well as the Associate Program Director of the General Surgery Residency. Tower also is an Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery at HSC-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and an Assistant Professor at TCU School of Medicine. Dr. Tower is Hidden Scar® Certified and treats benign and malignant breast diseases in women and men starting at ages 14.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scanning takes 1-2 minutes per margin, or approximately 10-15 minutes overall with interpretation, depending on the surgeon’s workflow, the number of margins scanned, and scan resolution.
It’s a relatively fast learning curve, especially for surgeons familiar with reading other imaging modalities like ultrasound. Perimeter provides image interpretation training, an Imaging Atlas reference library, and clinical support during initial cases in the OR. Many surgeons tell us they are comfortable with interpreting images after their first several cases.
Yes, there has been physician reimbursement from commercial carriers for interpretation. For hospitals, OCT is currently considered an adjunct technology that is bundled into their primary procedure reimbursement. When performing OCT during lumpectomy, use CPT 0351T or CPT 0352T, in addition to the Partial Mastectomy (Lumpectomy) code CPT 190301 or CPT 19302. Using the OCT code will demonstrate utilization and support future rate setting with payers. Perimeter has a full reimbursement guide available.
They are two entirely different modalities, used for different purposes. At 10X the resolution of X-ray and ultrasound, OCT helps the surgeon visualize microscopic tissue structures at the margins with unparalleled clarity. 2D and 3D X-ray is best suited for imaging marker seeds, biopsy clips and calcifications, which do not always correlate with cellular-level features in the margins.
No. OCT is an adjunct to pathology. If surgeons collaborate with their pathologists on applying this technology, OCT scans provide additional information for pathology. After the procedure, OCT scans can be correlated to pathology images, which is also a feature of Perimeter’s Atlas reference library.
No. Nothing from the device touches the patient or enters the sterile field. The imaging is non-invasive and non-destructive. In terms of workflow, you can review the images or have a trained staff member interact with the device.
No. The device is placed at no charge, so there is no capital equipment expenditure required. There is a per-procedure cost of $900 for the disposable Specimen Immobilizer.
Yes. S-Series is fully compatible with standard Modality Worklist Servers and can export images selected by the user to PACS. This feature works even in the absence of continuous/real-time connectivity.
Dr. Amelia Tower is a board-certified general surgeon with advanced fellowship training in breast surgical oncology.