LINKÖPING, Sweden, October 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Sectra announces an agreement with Aspen Healthcare Ltd for use of Sectra's unique solution for mammography and osteoporosis screening at Holly House Hospital. The hospital is the first in the UK to give women the opportunity of better quality of life by offering osteoporosis detection and mammography in a single examination. This is an initiative that will also drastically reduce care costs, since fractures caused by osteoporosis will decline.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101021/414834 )

For most women, regular mammography examinations are a natural part of the safety net for early detection of breast cancer. The ability to conduct screening to identify osteoporosis at the same time could mean that many women will avoid unnecessary suffering and could result in major cost-savings for society, says Torbjörn Kronander, President of Sectra's medical operations.

Several initiatives worldwide advocate screening for osteoporosis risk factors and research in progress is paving the way for Swedish medical technology company Sectra's unique solution. An example is the Karolinska Institute's research ( http://www.sectra.com/global/news/press_releases/medical/2009-2010/2010-...) study being conducted in Stockholm, in which 10,000 women are able to take the combined examination. Holly House is among the first in Europe to take such an initiative. Based on a single radiology image of the hand, taken in connection with the mammography examination and using the same equipment, the Sectra dxr-online service (http://www.dxr-online.com/dxropo/index.html) calculates Bone Mineral Density. To perform the combined examination, Holly House has invested in Sectra MicroDose Mammography, which with superior image quality, generates by far the lowest dose of radiation of all of the systems offered in the market.

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Osteoporosis-related fractures remain one of the major health threats for women (http://www.iofbonehealth.org/). But if women in the risk zone for osteoporosis are identified at an early stage, there are now inexpensive and effective ways of preventing fractures through lifestyle changes and medication. Early discovery also saves major resources for society. Collectively, these are important reasons why mammography clinics in Europe have begun to show an interest in this possibility.

About Sectra's medical operations

Sectra develops and sells IT-systems and products for radiology, mammography and orthopedics. More than 1,100 hospitals, clinics and imaging centers worldwide use the systems daily, together performing over 52 million radiology examinations annually. This makes Sectra one of the world-leading companies within systems for handling digital radiology images. Sectra's systems have been installed in North America, Scandinavia and most major countries in Europe and the Far East.

The Sectra Group successfully develops and sells cutting-edge products in the niche segments of medical systems and secure communication systems. The company was founded in 1978 and has its roots in Linköping University in Sweden. Sectra has offices in twelve countries and operates through partners worldwide. The Sectra share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB exchange. For more information, visit http://www.sectra.com.

For additional information, contact:

Torbjörn Kronander, President Sectra Imtec AB. Ph +46-705-23-52-27, E-mail: info.press@sectra.se

SOURCE: Sectra AB

CONTACT: For additional information, contact: Torbjörn Kronander,President Sectra Imtec AB. Ph +46-705-23-52-27, E-mail:info.press@sectra.se