A diagnostic medical device used to improve diagnosis of cervical cancer and pre-cancer in women referred to colposcopy clinics, has been adopted for use by Medway NHS Foundation Trust.
ZedScan’s patented Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) platform technology is said to detect cervical abnormalities, or pre-cancerous changes, before they develop into cervical cancer. It can provide an objective assessment of cervical epithelial tissue in real time and differentiate between normal, pre-cancerous and cancerous tissue on the cervix using EIS.
The tech has been developed by Zilico, a company founded in 2006 following collaboration between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to develop a more accurate means of diagnosis for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Zilico describes its mission as “developing the next generation of diagnostic devices that remove subjectivity, increase accuracy and deliver results in real-time.”
Following a service evaluation of over 200 patients, the tech was found to have increased the detection of high-grade disease by 26 percent, helping decision making and supporting confidence to discharge women to surveillance or routine screening when no high-grade disease is indicated.
“Within colposcopy, it is essential that we are able to confidently diagnose cervical abnormalities and make the best decision for patients at their first visit,” said Sharon Griffin, Lead Clinician, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. “The introduction of ZedScan to our services helps us to do this, and get fuller and more accurate diagnosis for our patients.
“Zedscan also gives us the ability to confidently rule out disease in many cases, and removes the need for a diagnostic biopsy and unnecessary follow-up appointments. This gives our patients peace of mind and helps us to see more patients more quickly by releasing appointment capacity for other patients.”
