Friday, July 31, 2009

Medical Ultrasound Technology Expected to Flourish as it Enters New and Unique Medical Markets - Market Research Report by MARKETSTRAT

Dublin, CA (PRWEB) July 29, 2009 -- The world Medical Ultrasound equipment, accessories, and maintenance services market is expected to reach $4.7 billion by 2012. Higher growth rates towards the end of this period are projected as economic conditions stabilize around the world leading to sizeable increases in healthcare expenditures, particularly in high-end capital equipment acquisition.

Growth in the ultrasound market will be driven by demand for hand-carried ultrasound devices and penetration of emerging geographic and clinical markets. Overall growth in medical imaging will also continue due to growing populations of elderly people worldwide, with a concurrent rise in chronic disease rates, which presents new opportunities for growth and expansion. Main restraints in the ultrasound market include the sluggish economy in many countries, reimbursement restrictions and competition from MRI and CT in areas of overlapping application.

The new report published by Marketstrat Inc. discusses these and other trends in the Medical Ultrasound market worldwide, with market estimates and forecasts for the 2008-2016 period. The report discusses the contribution of technological innovation in driving the ultrasound market forward, with hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) systems being the most significant. After Sonosite Inc. first introduced hand-carried ultrasound in 1999, the global leader in medical imaging GE, jumped on board, quickly establishing a broad base in the compact and hand-carried device segment with a wide range of HCUs. The original devices were focused on providing portability and minimizing storage space, although image quality was compromised. The latest HCUs with much improved resolution are now poised to capture a large share of the ultrasound market across the globe.

source: eMediaWire

Monday, July 13, 2009

Precision Imaging Ultrasound Software for Toshiba’s Aplio XG Provides Unprecedented Image Clarity and Resolution

TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To help leading healthcare institutions increase productivity while improving patient care in diagnostic imaging, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc., has introduced Precision Imaging technology available on the AplioTM XG ultrasound system. Precision Imaging technology acquires ultrasound images of unprecedented clarity and resolution, enabling users to see more clinical detail than ever before.

Precision Imaging technology increases productivity and diagnostic confidence by providing more detailed ultrasound images. As a multi-resolution signal processing technology, it not only evaluates images line-by-line, but also includes information from adjacent lines to enhance the amount of information obtained. Traditional ultrasound systems acquire images line-by-line only and do not consider information from adjacent lines. As a Toshiba-exclusive software, Precision Imaging’s ability to capture information from multiple lines improves the definition of the structure, provides more detail and minimizes noise and clutter. This approach enables clinicians to determine if the signal is part of a structure or an anomaly from one line.

“Precision Imaging software shows greater definition of structures and reduces noise to produce high quality ultrasound images,” explained Dr. Edward G. Grant, M.D., professor and chairman of radiology, USC Medical School, who evaluated the new technology throughout the past two months. “Compared to other ultrasound imaging technologies, Precision Imaging shows better contrast and delineation of lesions, vessels and other objects. It enhances our capability to evaluate difficult to image areas and improves diagnoses.”

source: Business Wire

Sunday, July 12, 2009

SonoSite Introduces the 6 lb. NanoMaxx – A Breakthrough Ultrasound Tool Aimed at Reducing Patient Safety Risks and Healthcare Delivery Costs

BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SonoSite, Inc. (Nasdaq:SONO), the world leader and specialist in hand-carried ultrasound, today announced the introduction of its new 6 pound NanoMaxx™ ultrasound tool, the latest addition to SonoSite’s suite of specialized products for point-of-care visualization in medicine. Designed for diagnostic imaging, clinical assessment and procedural guidance at the hospital bedside and in the physician’s office, the NanoMaxx system is the company’s latest innovation in point-of-care user design and features one button system control. SonoSite has begun deliveries to international customers and is waiting FDA 510(k) clearance to begin US customer shipments.

“The NanoMaxx tool makes high-quality ultrasound available to a much broader range of clinicians and applications, all of which can save time and money and improve patient safety,” said Kevin M. Goodwin, SonoSite President and CEO. “The healthcare world is changing dramatically, and the NanoMaxx is part of our continuing effort to make ultrasound a more affordable and useful tool in the world of medicine.”

“The NanoMaxx system offers our gold standard durability and two-hour battery life along with image quality similar to our flagship M-Turbo® system. A fluid-resistant user interface makes the system easy to clean and disinfect, helping to address the growing concern over infection control. Designed and manufactured at SonoSite’s headquarters in Bothell, Washington, USA, the NanoMaxx system and its transducers again offer our industry-leading 5-year warranty to deliver the lowest cost of ownership in ultrasound,” Mr. Goodwin said.

sourc: Business Wire