Suros Surgical Systems Inc.: innovators of minimally invasive biopsy options.

• Position: ATEC[R] system

SUROS SURGICAL SYSTEMS INC. is a medical device manufacturer of technologies for interventional platform systems in minimally invasive biopsy and tissue removal. Suros holds 18 patents and 24 patents are pending on its biopsy technology that can be applied in the FDA-cleared areas of breast, neurosurgery, liver, lung, ENT, and urology.

Physician inspired and patient focused, the Suros Automated Tissue Excision and Collection (ATEC[R]) system was a decade in design, first applied in the ophthalmology arena and later in lower back soft tissue biopsy. Modifications to the technology for breast applications provided the foundation for establishing Suros in June 2000 and the eventual commercial market of the ATEC[R] system--now widely adopted and available in more than 350 hospitals and breast centers in the U.S. and Canada.

After just one year in the market, Suros changed the face of women's healthcare by pioneering the new arena of MRI-guided breast biopsy, specifically benefiting women at high-risk for developing breast disease and cancer. The ATEC[R] system is the first and only system compatible with the three primary imaging modalities used in breast biopsy--ultrasound, x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). More than 1.7 million women will undergo a breast biopsy in 2005; more than 80 percent will result in a non-cancerous diagnosis. With this high percentage of benign biopsy results, the Suros ATEC[R] system is providing women with a less traumatic and less invasive biopsy option offering the same dependable pathology results.

The ATEC[R] system is a precision air-powered biopsy device that allows doctors to reach, cut and collect tissue samples through a one time needle insertion. Patients leave the doctor's office with only a Band-Aid or compression wrap over the biopsy site and can typically resume normal daily activity following the procedure.

"I always thought surgery was the only option I had...