Thursday, January 31, 2008

Escalon(R) Announces FDA 510(K) Clearance For VascuView(TM) Visual Ultrasound System For Assisted Vascular Access

Escalon Medical Corp. (Nasdaq: ESMC) announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the VascuView(TM) Visual Ultrasound System for use with assisted vascular access. Its subsidiary, Escalon Vascular Access, Inc., plans to commence shipments of the product in the United States immediately.

"We are excited to announce the FDA clearance and introduction of the new VascuView(TM) Visual Ultrasound System," said Michael O'Donnell, President of Escalon Vascular Access. "Developed with doctors and clinicians ultrasound needs in mind, the VascuView(TM) system couples unparalleled portability with a large image display and intuitive touchscreen operation which allow users to focus on the task at hand. Whether mounted on a stand, used table top bedside, or fit into a carrying case for field use, the VascuView(TM) is highly adaptable to the challenges of varying departmental environments within a hospital."

MedicalNewsToday

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

House Republicans Introduce Sonogram Measure

Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) last week introduced an antiabortion rights bill (HR 5032) that would require physicians to perform ultrasounds on women before performing an abortion, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

The measure, titled the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, would require doctors to provide women with medical descriptions of the ultrasounds -- including the dimensions of the fetus and the presence of limbs or internal organs -- and offer women the opportunity to view the results. The requirement would not apply to women seeking abortions to save their own lives, the News & Observer reports. Under the bill, physicians could be fined up to $100,000 for a first offense of not following the legislation's provisions, and patients could file civil actions against doctors who perform the procedure without following the requirements (Teague et al., Raleigh News & Observer, 1/28).
MedicalNewsToday

Monday, January 28, 2008

Ultrasound could provide early diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome

by Wendy Despain

Lung ultrasound exams reliably detect respiratory distress syndrome in premature neonates and could be used as a radiation-free method for diagnosis and guidance for treatment.

Respiratory distress syndrome occurs primarily in premature infants whose lungs haven't matured enough to produce surfactant, which keeps lung tissues from sticking together. Early treatment is usually the most beneficial.

Clinical indications such as low blood oxygen levels and shallow breathing provide clues, but the current standard diagnostic test for respiratory distress syndrome is chest x-ray. Previous studies have examined ultrasound's diagnostic value, but they used a transabdominal cross-section through the liver and spleen.

article - Diagnostic Imaging

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Taking A Look At Baby's First Biofilm

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2008) — A sludgy substance seen on the ultrasound images of about 15 percent of pregnancies is in fact a bacterial biofilm in the amniotic fluid, according to the USC School of Dentistry’s resident expert on the slimy structures.

The findings appear in the January cover story of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, of which J. William Costerton, professor of research in the School of Dentistry and director of the Center for Biofilms, is an author.

“Doctors kept seeing this stuff on the ultrasound and we wanted to figure out what it was,” Costerton said. “We suspected it was bacteria but didn’t know for sure.”

Science Daily

Saturday, January 26, 2008

ZONARE's z.one Ultrasound System Embarks on 114-Day Around the World Cruise

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- ZONARE Medical Systems,
a developer of premium ultrasound systems, announced its z.one ultrasound
system recently set sail on the U.S.S. Amsterdam, a flag ship of Holland
America Line, which left Ft. Lauderdale, FL on January 4, 2008 for its
114-day around the world trip. Under the direction of Carter Hill, MD,
medical director of Holland America, the z.one system, based on Zone
Sonography technology, will be used in support of diagnosing passengers in
need of medical attention during the cruise. The outcome of the four-month
study could determine future use of ultrasound imaging on passenger
cruises.

PR Newswire

Friday, January 25, 2008

Voiding Ultrasonography: Evaluation of the Detection of Vesicoureteral Reflux Based on the Review of Digital Ultrasound Clips - Abstract

To evaluate the accuracy of voiding urosonography (VUS) compared to X-ray voiding cystoureterography (VCUG) for the detection and grading of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) by standardised reading of digital clips obtained from VUS and digital images from VCUG.

Approval by the ethics committee was obtained, and written, informed consent was given. 130 children (94 girls and 36 boys, mean age of 4.4 years) underwent VUS using Levovist (Schering, Germany) prior to VCUG. Digital VUS clips and digital VCUG images were reviewed by two groups of two radiologists. Results were mainly analysed in terms of reno-ureteral units (RUUs). Intra and interobserver reproducibility was estimated by calculation of kappa coefficient. Calculation of sensitivity and specificity of VUS was made in comparison with VCUG.

Uro Today

Monday, January 21, 2008

Pro-Life Pioneer Announces New Ultrasound DVD

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ (JANUARY 21, 2008) - The first time Shari Richard put together a video presentation of life in the womb, called Window to the Womb, her powerful presentation brought her before the U.S. Congress. Within months, she was sharing her experience and footage with legislators on Capitol Hill. Richard’s newest video continues her legacy, now utilizing the latest in medical imaging to demonstrate the life of the child in the womb.

Eyewitness 2 – The Next Generation is a sequel to another of Richard’s ground-breaking videos, Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life. Eyewitness 2 shows 3D and 4D images from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimester set to music. Fetal development is described using subtitles, making the video ready for use for any language and country.

Catholic PR Wire

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Women undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer ‘needlessly’ (UK)

Many women are undergoing major surgery unnecessarily because of a lack of ultrasound experts to diagnose ovarian cancer, researchers say.

Improving the quality of preoperative ultrasound examinations could lead to a decrease in the number of operations on women with suspected ovarian cancer, as benign tumours may be discovered before surgery.



Times Online

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Military Technique Could Aid Stroke Victims

University of Leicester researchers are pioneering use of military radar signal processing methods to help victims of stroke the third most common cause of death in the UK. The Leicester study has discovered that techniques used in radar systems can be modified and have the potential to improve early diagnosis and effective monitoring of stroke victims. Research by Joanne Cowe in the University's Medical Physics group led to the breakthrough which offers huge potential to deliver benefits to patients.

Joanne said: "Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the most common cause of adult disability in the UK and is estimated to cost the NHS over £2.3 billion per year. One quarter of strokes are due to emboli (blood clots or other foreign bodies) blocking small blood vessels in the brain. Emboli can originate from a number of sources such as the heart or from plaques in arteries in the head or neck due to vascular disease.

MedicalNewsToday - complete article

Friday, January 18, 2008

Ultrasound diagnoses idiopathic carpal tunnel better than physical exam

Ultrasound exams of patients with a history of idiopathic carpal tunnel are better diagnostic tools than the standard physical maneuvers known as Tinel's sign and Phalen's maneuver.

Dr. Antonio Naranjo and colleagues in the rheumatology department at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, published their study in the November/December 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. They studied 68 patients with 105 wrists showing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Diagnostic Imaging

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

New tool advances injury care

About 100 patients from the Black Hills area have undergone the emerging technology of musculoskeletal ultrasound, a diagnostic ultrasound that is proving to be useful in sports medicine, rheumatology, orthopedics and podiatry.

One of the easiest and most accurate tools for diagnosing soft tissue injuries and pathology, musculoskeletal ultrasound is an accurate, quick, noninvasive and cost-effective method, according to Dr. Steve Wisniew-ski of Rehab Doctors.

source article

Monday, January 14, 2008

Bill would require pre-abortion ultrasound

They could choose not to look, but women seeking an abortion would first have to undergo an ultrasound and review the results with their doctors, under a measure proposed last week in the General Assembly.

The measure by Sen. Jack Westwood, a Northern Kentucky legislator who opposes abortion, would require doctors to perform ultrasounds on women seeking abortions and allow women to see the images before terminating their pregnancies.

Physicians who don't comply could be fined up to $100,000 for the first offense and $250,000 for each subsequent offense.

source article

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Fetus Size Adversely Affected By Pollution

Exposure to air pollution significantly reduces foetus size during pregnancy, according to a new study by Brisbane scientists.

Queensland University of Technology senior research fellow Dr Adrian Barnett said the study compared the foetus sizes of more than 15,000 ultrasound scans in Brisbane to air pollution levels within a 14km radius of the city.

"The study found that mothers with a higher exposure to air pollution had foetuses that were, on average, smaller in terms of abdominal circumference, head circumference and femur length," Dr Barnett said.

source

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

View Of Liver Tumors Sharpened By High-Energy Ultrasound

A high-energy form of ultrasound imaging developed by researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering produces pictures of liver tumors that are better than those made with traditional ultrasound, according to results of a clinical study.

The study suggests that the imaging method known as Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) ultrasound might offer a new tool for screening patients at increased risk for liver cancers, according to the researchers. They say it might also play a useful role in guiding biopsy procedures and minimally invasive therapies aimed at destroying cancerous tissues found deep in the abdomen.

MedicalNewsToday

Monday, January 7, 2008

Three-D sonography used to detect bladder tumors proves promising

Three-D ultrasound examination shows the location, size, and perivesical spreading of bladder tumors just as well as conventional cystoscopy. The technique has the advantage of being noninvasive.

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men in the U.S. and the 10th most common in women. It usually occurs in patients over 68 years of age, so a noninvasive way to evaluate cases in elderly patients could lower risks of complications.

Diagnostic Imaging

Friday, January 4, 2008

Escalon(R) Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance For Sonomed MASTER-VU(TM) B-Scan System

Escalon Medical Corp. (Nasdaq Capital Market: ESMC) announced that its Sonomed, Inc. subsidiary received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the MASTER-VU(TM) ophthalmic B scan ultrasound system. The MASTER-VU(TM) System consists of a B scan probe that can be interfaced to a standard personal computer (via a USB cable connection) using Sonomed's proprietary software, thereby converting the personal computer into an ophthalmic ultrasound system. Sonomed plans to commence shipments of the product in the United States immediately.

Barry Durante, Sonomed's President stated: "The FDA clearance, along with the previously received CE certification, will allow Sonomed to market this new breakthrough instrumentation worldwide. With computers becoming standard in most ophthalmic physician offices, purchasing the probe and software offers complete portability for use in multiple locations. Loading the software in computers in multiple offices allows the physician to carry only the probe from office to office. We expect that the MASTER-VU(TM) will be a valuable addition to our product line in both the U.S. and international marketplace."

MedicalNewsToday