Ultrasound fails to spot ovarian cancer

Annual screening with a technique called transvaginal ultrasound, coupled with a blood test for CA125, a protein that can be elevated in the setting of ovarian cancer, does not reliably detect ovarian cancer early, at a more curable stage, according to a new study.

"We and other groups confirm that the current method of ovarian screening, which is a combination of ultrasound scans and (blood) markers, is ineffective," Dr Emma R Woodward from Birmingham Women's Hospital, UK, told Reuters Health.

"Therefore, for women at high risk of developing ovarian cancer, the only real option at present to prevent ovarian cancer death is to have the ovaries removed as a preventive measure."

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SonoSite Begins Customer Shipments Of S Series Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Tools

SonoSite, Inc. (Nasdaq:SONO), the world leader in point-of-care, hand-carried ultrasound, announced that it has begun worldwide shipments of its S Series ultrasound tools. Based on the company's fourth generation technology platform, the S Series product line combines the processing power, image quality and advanced data management features of SonoSite's newly introduced M-Turbo™ system with a customized user interface to address the specific needs of four clinical specialties.

"SonoSite is the only company that has designed a system that can withstand rigorous use in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," said John M. Oropello, MD, FCCP, FCCM, Professor of Surgery and Medicine, Program Director, Critical Care Medicine and Co-Director, Neurosurgical - ICU, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. "We evaluated a lot of machines and no one else has taken into account what critical care physicians need. Both the S-ICU and M-Turbo have superb image quality and are easy to clean-so essential to infection control. I can foresee the day when there will be an S ultrasound tool mounted by every bedside in the ICU."

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ZONARE Ranked Best in KLAS as Hand Carried Ultrasound Vendor in 2007 Top20

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ZONARE Medical Systems, a developer of premium ultrasound systems, today announced it has been ranked Best in KLAS as the top hand carried ultrasound (HCU) vendor in the KLAS Top20: Year-End Report published this week. Previously, the company was ranked number one in the inaugural HCU KLAS study. KLAS, a highly respected research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of information technology and medical imaging vendors in the healthcare field, continued several studies to incorporate additional customer data in order to determine Best in KLAS for 20 different categories for the year, including the HCU market.

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GE Healthcare Licenses Rights To Ultrasound Diagnostic Protocol Developed By Eastern Virginia Medical School Obstetrician

GE Healthcare, a leading manufacturer of 3D/4D ultrasound systems, has licensed a technique patented by an Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) obstetrician that can automate the acquisition of ultrasound images used by physicians to diagnose fetal heart defects. GE Healthcare has licensed the software for exclusive use in its 3D/4D ultrasound systems.

Alfred Abuhamad, M.D., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at EVMS - recognized worldwide for his skills in using ultrasound to detect fetal heart defects - developed the automation protocol, called Sonography based Volume Computer Aided Diagnosis (SonoVCAD).

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Toshiba And TomTec Deliver New Tools For Cardiac 4D Ultrasound

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation and TomTec Imaging Systems GmbH announced an agreement to deliver new tools for assessing cardiac 4D data and a collaboration to make them more widely available at EuroEcho which is held from December 5th to 8th in Lisbon, Portugal. With the recent announcement of Toshiba's ArtidaTM Cardiac 4D Ultrasound System, a variety of new 4D capabilities were released. TomTec diagnostic workstations will be able to read Artida's data providing increased customer options for image review and a host of new advanced applications.

"We designed Artida to be the first of a new generation of the cardiac 4D ultrasound systems." said Hiroyuki Tsujino, General Manager, Ultrasound Systems Division at Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation. "This is why we developed the smallest and lightest 4D transducers together with the SmartCore technology to generate precise 4D images quickly. To provide a total workflow solution to the customer, TomTec was a natural choice for the image review and analysis. We admire TomTec for its long-standing commitment to innovation in diagnostic ultrasound"

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New Research Reveals Ultrasound Treatment Of Benefit To Prostate Cancer Sufferers

First analysis of the long-term results with transrectal HIFU in patients with localized prostate cancer (European Journal of Urology online).

Prostate cancer experts say high intensity focussed ultrasound (HIFU) is an effective treatment option for men with prostate cancer, according to new research published this month in the European Journal of Urology online.

Experts from France and Germany studied the results of 140 people with prostate cancer over an eight year period and published their findings in the EJU.

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Ultrasound may Better Classify Ovarian Tumors

Experts examining patterns in ultrasound images can more accurately classify ovarian tumors as benign or malignant than can pre-surgical blood tests, according to a study published online in the Nov. 13 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

An elevated level of the protein CA-125 in blood is considered an indicator of whether an ovarian tumor is benign or malignant. This measure, however, can often be inaccurate.

Another option is an ultrasound examination of the tumor. An experienced ultrasound examiner can often accurately classify an ovarian tumor using a method of pattern recognition.

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Advanced Elastography Features Available on HI VISION(TM) 900 Premium Ultrasound System

Hitachi Medical Systems America anticipates a surge of excitement within the ultrasound community, when more than ten live sessions and written posters evaluating the emerging technique of ultrasound elastography are presented at this year's Scientific Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Elastography is rooted in the practice of palpation, one of the oldest concepts in medicine. When an abnormal mass is discovered in a patient, an important aspect of the initial clinical examination is physically palpating the mass to assess its stiffness. Hitachi's Elastography takes this concept one step further by using ultrasound to perform sophisticated and sensitive measurements of relative stiffness and creating detailed images depicting this information.

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Through-Wave Ultrasound: Effective, Economical and Ideal for Breast Imaging, Biopsy

RICHLAND, Wash., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Imaging Technologies,
today announced the ARIA Breast Imaging System (BIS),a real-time through-wave ultrasound imaging system that uses the diffractiveproperties of sound combined with holography (HU) to create highly-detailed,three-dimensional images of breast tissue, is now equipped for image-guidedbiopsy. The automated system has clinically proven to provide superior viewsof the breast tissue, especially dense tissue, while delivering better datafor enhanced diagnostic decision-making. The system's image-guidance for
biopsy will be demonstrated in booth #2179 at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Scientific Sessions November 25-29, 2007 in Chicago.

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Siemens Introduces The World's Smallest Ultrasound Unit For Emergency Diagnostics

The first few minutes are often the deciding factor in emergency situations. For this reason, Siemens is now offering a mini ultrasound unit that will enable patients to receive medical treatment faster than ever before. Because this unit is just as compact as a PDA cell phone, weighs only about 700 grams, and easily fits into the physician's pocket. It is thus especially suitable for emergency medical applications, i.e. examining injuries on site in order to ensure that each patient receives the medical treatment he requires.

The "Acuson P10" mini ultrasound unit offers decisive advantages for first aid in outpatient areas, rescue helicopters and intensive care units: It is mobile, easy to operate and available to physicians whenever and wherever it is needed. When set to high-definition ultrasound image acquisition, it can, for example, be used to detect accumulations of liquids in the body and heart action, display any damage to arteries and examine the pelvis. In obstetrics, this mini ultrasound unit can be used even during childbirth to determine the unborn child's location, chances of survival and position, as well as to visualize the amount of amniotic fluid or bleeding and their tendency to escape in due time.


MedicalNewsToday

MEDISON Launches New Ultrasound System: ACCUVIX V10

The advanced ultrasound system ACCUVIX XQ has been widely recognised worldwide for its advanced technology and stability, but a new unit is about to steal its thunder.

Produced by South Korea-based MEDISON Co Ltd (CEO: J. B. Choi) ACCUVIX XQ was ranked, according to the Klein Report, in second place in the number of units sold in 2005 as well as 2006 in the US$200 million American obstetrics and gynaecology ultrasound market. However, the XQ has now been superseded by the latest in the line: the ACCUVIX V10.

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Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Women May Save Lives

Newswise — In 9 out of 10 cases, a burst abdominal aortic artery is quickly fatal for its most common victim: elderly males. A new study -- the largest yet performed -- now confirms that women over 65 with a history of smoking or heart disease are also at high risk for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) -- supporting the notion that they should also receive ultrasound screening to help spot and correct the dangerous condition.

The findings, reported in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, challenge current recommendations on AAA screening issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force. Those guidelines recommend that screening only be performed -- and reimbursed by Medicare -- for men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.


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GE Breakthroughs Seek To Re-Invent Cardiovascular Ultrasound

Ultra Definition: True 4D Echo
The Vivid 7 Dimension '08

One has been given the gift of enhanced, crystal-clear sight. The other gets a three-connector docking cart, stress echo and an ergonomic work over. GE Healthcare, the global ultrasound leader, launched two breakthroughs for its popular Vivid e and Vivid 7 Dimension cardiovascular ultrasound systems at this year's meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, FL. Building upon GE's successful introduction of Vivid products in 2000, GE continues to bring to market innovative, high-performance cardiovascular ultrasound systems.

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Chronic Achilles Tendon Pain Eased By Ultrasound-Guided Injections

Patients with chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon can experience a reduction in pain when injected with a small amount of a dextrose solution, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC.

"Chronic tendinosis is a common overuse injury which can be very painful and debilitating and can affect many tendons throughout the body," said Norman J. Maxwell, MD, lead author of the study. "Research has shown that this condition results from impaired healing of recurrent injury to the tendon. Research has also shown that chronic tendinosis is not an inflammatory but a degenerative process," he said.

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Ultrasound differentiates between hepatitis and cirrhosis

Simple gray scale and color Doppler sonography can show differences between compensated liver cirrhosis and chronic viral hepatitis in patients with liver problems. Certain color Doppler indices can even help narrow down the stage of chronic viral hepatitis, reducing the need for biopsies.

Dr. Panagiotis Iliopoulos from Agios Andreas General Hospital in Patras, Greece, and colleagues from hospitals around Patras and Thessaly published their research in the September issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases.

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Ohio Bill Would Allow Women Seeking Abortion To View Ultrasound Image

Ohio state Sen. Gary Cates (R) recently proposed a measure (SB 230) that would give a woman seeking an abortion the option of viewing an ultrasound image of her fetus before undergoing the procedure, the AP/Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mark Lally, legal director for Ohio Right to Life, said abortion-rights opponents believe viewing ultrasound images might influence women seeking abortions to reconsider undergoing the procedure. "We have encountered women who, after having abortions, saw ultrasounds in other contexts of other children and they say, 'Hey, that's about the same age the child that I aborted was,' and they have adverse emotional reactions," Lally said.

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