Siemens releases women’s health U/S scanner
Tools that streamline obstetrics exams characterize the newly released Acuson X300 Premium Edition (PE) Women’s Imaging system from Siemens Healthcare. Dedicated to ob/gyn, the ultrasound scanner is compact, highly portable, and easy to use, according to Siemens, suiting any clinical environment from private practices to hospitals. User friendly features include automated biometry measurements of the fetus, which reduces the time-consuming manual process of biometry measurements by cutting up to 75% of keystrokes, according to the company.
Ziosoft targets Europe
Regulatory authorities in the European Union (EU) have given IT specialist Ziosoft the green light to market its 3D Thin-Client Advanced Visualization System. With the CE Mark in hand, the Japanese company is cleared to distribute its software in the 27 EU countries, as well as those of the European Economic Area, which includes the countries of the European Free Trade Association. Ziosoft has already laid the groundwork for this move, having recently established a European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and several strategic alliances with partners and distributors throughout Europe. Ziosoft is the market leader of medical visualization software in Japan since its founding there in 1998. Last year the company entered the U.S. market and is in the process of registering the Ziostation system in Canada.
Study documents CT dose savings
Radiologists screening for pulmonary emboli using CT angiography can cut patient radiation dose by 44% by simply lowering the peak kilovoltage setting by 20 kVp with no loss of image quality, according to research done at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In the study, 400 patients believed to have a pulmonary embolism were evaluated using pulmonary CT angiography. Half were evaluated using the standard peak kilovoltage setting of 130 kVp or 120 kVp. The other half were evaluated using a lower peak kilovoltage setting of 110 or 100 kVp. Results proved that the lower voltage and consequent reduction in patient radiation dose were achieved without compromising image quality, according to research that appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
