The AI-powered 3D ultrasound is designed to enhance cancer detection in dense breast tissue by providing clearer imaging, faster scanning, and improved diagnostic confidence.
GE HealthCare announced the launch of Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) Premium, the latest 3D ultrasound offering artificial intelligence (AI) and features designed to drive faster, reproducible supplemental screening and streamline exam readings on patients with dense breasts. The ultrasound received US Food and Drug Administration Premarket Approval last month.
Approximately 71% of cancers occur in dense breasts. According to studies across the US and Europe, 40% of women and 70% of Asian women have dense breast tissue, making them four to six times more likely to receive a breast cancer diagnosis. Early detection of breast cancer is critical, yet about one-third of cancers in dense breasts may go undetected by a mammogram, as the cancer can be masked within the dense tissue.
There is growing evidence supporting ABUS as a valuable tool for detecting cancer in dense breasts because it provides clearer and more detailed images and has been shown to improve the sensitivity of detecting invasive cancer in dense breasts when added to mammography.
“Women with dense breasts often face poorer outcomes due to malignancies detected at later, more advanced stages. Invenia ABUS Premium equipped with AI has the potential to optimize clinicians’ screening capabilities, enabling them to detect even small, early-stage cancers with a high degree of confidence in women with dense breasts,” says Karley Yoder, CEO of comprehensive care ultrasound, GE HealthCare, in a release. “Invenia ABUS Premium is designed to help deliver the best possible outcomes for patients while also prioritizing the patient experience with features to improve scan speed and enhance comfort during an exam.”
Features of ABUS Premium Ultrasound
Invenia ABUS Premium is designed to manage high patient volumes along the breast care pathway. GE HealthCare says the new Verisound AI tools can help clinicians work smarter and more efficiently, featuring Scan Quality Assessment for immediate qualitative evaluation during the exam for proper breast coverage and positioning, and Auto Nipple Detection for consistent nipple marker positions. The new Fast Scan tool increases scan speed by up to 40%, while cSound Imageformer capabilities automatically create focus at every pixel for consistent, high-resolution image quality and reproducibility.
For fast, streamlined reading, physicians can use Invenia ABUS Viewer with AI Assistant to review and interpret patient exams either from their practice or remotely. The integration of AI tools for enhanced review of ABUS 3D datasets harness intelligent algorithms to assist in detecting and characterizing breast lesions. These tools can help improve clinical confidence and reading efficiency, addressing staff shortages, according to a release from GE HealthCare.
This ABUS technology may reduce unnecessary biopsies by providing specific image features to distinguish and detect malignant tumors, enabling clinicians to escalate care sooner. Additionally, it is designed to reduce patient exposure to radiation or contrast injection as it doesn’t use any iodinated contrast agent or ionizing radiation. The new Reverse Curve transducer follows the contour of a woman’s breast anatomy, while selectable compression levels provide personalized comfort during the exam.
“As an early adopter of ABUS, I’ve experienced the entire evolution of this technology. The Invenia ABUS Premium is superior with its special AI features, which ensure the breast volume is captured and offer automatic nipple annotation, reducing scanning time and streamlining clinical workflow,” says Athina Vourtsis, MD, PhD, chief director and founder of Athena Medical, Athens, Greece; founding president of the Hellenic Breast Imaging Society; European liaison and member of the medical advisory board of DenseBreast-Info, in a release. “The new Reverse Curve transducer makes the examination more patient-friendly, and it is much more comfortable. There has been great improvement in image quality with less shadowing, and the structures behind the area of the nipple are seen more clearly, providing radiologists with greater diagnostic confidence.”
Invenia ABUS Premium will be launching in key countries throughout 2025. Invenia ABUS Premium was featured at the 2025 European Congress of Radiology and will also be showcased at the National Consortium of Breast Centers 2025 and 2025 Society of Breast Imaging Symposium.
Photo caption: ABUS patient scan
Photo credit: GE HealthCare
