Saturday, February 26, 2011

Bedside Ultrasound Becomes a Reality

(NewDesignWorld Press Center) - Clinicians have often referred to ultrasound technology as the "stethoscope of the future," predicting that as the equipment shrinks in size, it will one day be as common at the bedside as that trusty tool around every physician's neck. According to a new report in The New England Journal of Medicine, that day has arrived.

The "Current Concepts" article by Yale School of Medicine clinicians Christopher L. Moore, M.D., and Joshua A. Copel, M.D., outlines how ultrasound use has moved beyond traditional specialties like radiology and is now being routinely employed by clinicians across myriad medical specialties and practice areas. From anesthesia to vascular surgery, Moore and Copel say, the use of ultrasonography has increased across the board, with the biggest growth seen among non-radiologists.Over the past two decades, the equipment used in ultrasonography-a safe, effective and non-invasive form of imaging that aids in diagnosis and guides procedures-has become more compact, higher quality and less expensive, leading to the growth of point-of-care ultrasonography, which is performed and interpreted by the clinician at the bedside.

"Ideally, point-of-care ultrasonography can decrease medical errors, provide more real-time diagnosis, and supplement or replace more advanced imaging in appropriate situations," said Moore, assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. "Point-of-care ultrasonography may also allow more widespread, less expensive screening for certain illnesses."

source: NewDesignWorld

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Conceptus(R) Receives CE Mark for Transvaginal Ultrasound Confirmation for Essure(R) Procedure

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 24, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conceptus Inc. (Nasdaq:CPTS), developer of the Essure® procedure, the most effective non-surgical permanent birth control method available, today announced receipt of the CE mark for use of Transvaginal Ultrasound ("TVU") to confirm proper placement of Essure micro-inserts three months following the Essure procedure. TVU is an alternative to the standard flat plate pelvic X-ray, and both will be included in the European Physicians' Instruction for Use. TVU takes place in the physician's clinic, while X-rays typically are taken at a radiology facility.

Essure micro-inserts are radiopaque, which enables physicians to visualize the location of the micro-inserts using either TVU or the standard flat plate pelvic X-ray. TVU is a non-invasive technique that uses sound waves sent out by an ultrasound probe to create a live picture (a sonogram) showing the reproductive organs. TVU advantages for patients include the ability to return to the familiar setting of the physician's clinic and avoid ionizing radiation associated with X-rays. TVU advantages for physicians include more control over the entire Essure procedure and improved patient compliance with the confirmation process.

source: Conceptus

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Toshiba Announces FDA Clearance of Auto-IMT Ultrasound Software

TUSTIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For physicians, the ability to streamline exams for determining a patient’s risk for cardiovascular disease is important in determining the patient’s clinical pathway. To enhance diagnostic efficiency, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has introduced Auto-IMT™, an ultrasound software tool that can measure the thickness of the intima-media layers of the carotid artery, for evaluating an asymptomatic patient’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Toshiba has recently received FDA clearance for Auto-IMT, and it is now available on the AplioTM XG, Aplio MX and XarioTM XG ultrasound systems.

“Toshiba is committed to improving patient care and providing ways to streamline processes so patients receive the highest quality care more efficiently.”

Toshiba’s Auto-IMT can determine the thickness of the near and far arterial walls from three segments of the carotid artery: at an optimal angle of incidence and two complementary planes. Auto-IMT traces the two complementary planes automatically and calculates the distance between them. The Auto-IMT uses the collected images following the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) consensus statement for the diagnosis.

Toshiba worked with Midwest Ultrasound, a division of The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, to develop the software tool. Midwest Ultrasound is a nationally recognized leader in providing quality cardiac and vascular ultrasound services, and maintains a diverse client mix, from small rural and community hospitals to major urban academic centers and large physician practices in southwest Ohio.

source: Business Wire

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Toshiba Receives FDA Clearance for Viamo Ultrasound System

TUSTIN, Calif., Feb. 4, 2010 – Designed to meet the needs of today’s hospitals by combining portability with high-end radiology features, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.’s new ViamoTM laptop ultrasound system has received FDA clearance. The Viamo is the industry’s no-compromise ultrasound system with advanced radiology capabilities, previously unavailable on hand-carried systems. Toshiba’s Viamo provides the best value in the hand carried class by offering the same premier image quality as larger, more expensive ultrasound systems, but at a lower price point for hospitals. The Viamo was introduced at the 2009 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting.

The Viamo combines the portability of a laptop system with advanced radiology features to deliver outstanding image quality, enhance diagnostic confidence and improve ease of use. Developed from a radiology foundation, Toshiba’s Viamo provides the confidence to image patients at bedside, which generally requires larger, more expensive cart-based systems. When an immobile patient needs a high-end ultrasound exam, the portable Viamo ultrasound is brought to the patient to improve the patient’s comfort without compromising exam quality. It is also ideal for a variety of patient exams, including general radiology, pediatric, emergency, OB/GYN and vascular.

source: Toshiba Medical Systems

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Ultrasound fusion imaging provides comparable accuracy for bone, soft tissue tumors

DETROIT – Biopsies using ultrasound fusion imaging for detecting bone and soft tissue cancers are safe, effective and just as accurate as conventional biopsy methods, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

Researchers found that the ultrasound fusion imaging technique guides a needle biopsy with precise accuracy and ease, while making the biopsy experience more convenient for patients.

Ultrasound fusion merges real-time ultrasound images with previously acquired computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans, providing physicians with high resolution, life-like imaging to identify the area for biopsy.

This is the first time researchers compared the safety and efficacy of ultrasound fusion against conventional biopsy imaging tools like CT or MRI.

The study's findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Feb. 15-18 in San Diego.

"Ultrasound fusion is a viable option to consider for patients," says Michael Mott, M.D., an orthopaedic oncologist at Henry Ford and principal investigator for the study. "With imaging precision being equal, patients liked the ultrasound fusion because scheduling a biopsy was found to be more flexible for ultrasound suites than CT suites."

source: EurekAlert

Friday, February 11, 2011

Terason Makes it Easy for MSK Ultrasound to get FIT

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Terason is transforming the way Musculoskeletal Ultrasound is performed with the new Terason t3200™ Ultrasound System – the first fully-functional, portable ultrasound system designed specifically for the MSK professional.

The t3200 MSK Series is the first in a family of Terason systems with a new wave of advancements in ground-breaking technology. FIT, exclusively from Terason, provides Flexible Imaging Technology using innovative new features to produce high quality images and simplify the ultrasound exam. All new X-Site™ Probes and DDR™ provide top-notch image quality in both superficial and deeper targets to further enhance clinical confidence. A re-designed intuitive interface, with simplified anatomy-specific exam measurements and annotations, will increase productivity and patient throughput.

Terason is proud to ship the first t3200 MSK Ultrasound System to Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, FL, a world-class institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

source: Business Wire

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Worlds First Smartphone Based Ultrasound Imaging System Cleared by the FDA

Mobisante, Inc., a privately held medical device company located in Redmond, WA, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its smartphone based ultrasound imaging system, MobiUS.

MobiUS is an innovative mobile, affordable, and accessible ultrasound imaging system that uses a smart-phone and Internet cloud services based commercial ultrasound system.

The MobiUS system is indicated for ultrasound imaging, measurement and analysis of the human body for the following clinical applications: fetal/OB, abdominal, cardiac, pelvic, pediatric, musculoskeletal, and peripheral vessel imaging. Its compact size, portability and user interface enable it for use in primary and specialty care. Since MobiUS is based on smartphones it can leverage cellular networks or Wi‐Fi to send images to a remote expert for diagnosis or second opinion, or to a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) for storage.

“Meeting the FDA’s of review is a critical milestone for Mobisante. We will now focus on launching MobiUS in selected markets and pursuing the CE mark in Europe”, said Dr. Salesh Chutan, CEO and co-founder of Mobisante.

MobiUS puts ultrasound capabilities into the hands of healthcare providers everywhere. This immediate access is especially important in rural communities in the U.S.A. and abroad that have limited resources, low population density, or are located far from the urban centers.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Microbubble ultrasound and breast biopsies

Using "microbubbles" and ultrasound can mean more targeted breast biopsies for patients with early breast cancer, helping to determine treatment and possibly saving those patients from undergoing a second breast cancer surgery, a new study in shows.

Patients with early breast cancer undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy to determine if their cancer has spread, said Dr. Ali Sever, lead author of the study. Ultrasound, on its own, can't distinguish the sentinel lymph node from other lymph nodes, Dr. Sever said. However, "our study found that microbubble contrast- enhanced ultrasound accurately identified the sentinel lymph node in 89% of the 80 patients in our study."

As many as 35% of patients who undergo sentinel lymph node excision biopsy will require additional surgery because cancer has spread," Dr. Sever said. Using microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound preoperatively means that the cancer and cancer spread can be removed during one operation.

Currently blue dye and radioisotopes are used to identify sentinel lymph nodes at the time of surgical excision. While this technique is accurate, there are side effects for some patients, including an allergic reaction. In addition, the disposal of the radioisotopes (radioactive waste) poses an issue.

source: EurekAlert