GE Digital Mammography: 4 Things to Ask Before You Buy

GE Senographe Essential, Senoclaire 3D Tomo, Pristina- Google any of these systems and you’ll be sure to find “for sale” postings. You may even find one at an eye-poppingly low price and think you’ve hit the jackpot. Maybe you have. Or, maybe the price is low because the care with which the system was deinstalled, shipped, and stored was also low.

The Devil, as they say, is in the details and digital equipment has several details that can make or break the quality of the product you’re considering. Below you’ll find what to look for and what to ask about as you search the marketplace for a GE digital mammography system.

Ask these questions before you buy GE digital mammo systems

Where can I see the system’s history?

Red flags should go up immediately if a system is de-installed and stored somewhere with no history of its functionality at the time of removal. Without an error log to peruse or, at least, copies of service documentation, there is no record of when the machine was last used, calibrated, or verified. Ask your seller to provide records from when the system was removed. A professionally de-installed  system should have records with it verifying that it has passed all QC testing prior to being removed (more details below).

How was the system inspected?

The documentation mentioned above is a product of careful inspection conducted by a qualified engineer prior to de-installation. In addition to error logs and service records, a thorough inspection should yield an inventory of system components and accessories, photos, and calibration/testing results. Tests may vary by manufacturer, but in the case of selling the GE Senographe series, the most important tests include the ACR phantom image test, flat field calibration test, and bad pixel test.

Was the system stored in the proper climate?

It’s also important to make sure any system you’re considering has been stored in a climate-controlled environment. Digital detectors are highly sensitive to temperature extremes and sudden temperature changes. If your seller doesn’t know this, you can only imagine what else they don’t know. Proceed with extreme caution, if you proceed at all.

How will the detector be shipped?

Given the sensitive (not to mention costly) nature of digital detectors, extra care must be taken to ensure that they are packaged well for shipment. In the case of digital mammos de-installed by Block Imaging, each detector is removed carefully, packaged in a durable, temperature-controlled Pelican brand case (the industry standard for fragile components), and shipped on an air ride-equipped truck or air-shipped.

Before you get sucked in by that “steal of a deal” price, be sure to check into how your prospective system is being handled in all of the above areas. If you want to learn more about selecting and purchasing a used or refurbished GE digital mammography system, we have inventory, engineers, and additional resources to help. Use the button below to get additional info.