Ultrasound

In the wake of Thanksgiving every year, a city rises within the confines of McCormick Place. It is a kind of radiological Epcot Center, a futuristic vision designed to dazzle; constructed of software, heavy iron, and handhelds; and swathed in platitudes.

Transvaginal ultrasound and serum CA 125 blood tests, used individually or in combination, can detect cancer early, according to preliminary results from a National Cancer Institute study. Both tests, however, produce too many false positives, prompting needless surgeries.

IT developer IDX is now part of GE Healthcare. In making the announcement Jan. 4, GE described the acquisition as helping create a comprehensive suite of clinical, imaging, and business information systems.

The U.K.’s national screening committee has recommended routine abdominal aortic aneurysm screening for men over the age of 65. Doctors have welcomed the move but questioned the committee’s decision not to include women, according to an article in Pulse, a newspaper for general practitioners.

Philips makes MR smarter, fasterSmartExam helps operators of Philips MR scanners work smarter, not harder. The technology, developed by Philips Medical Solutions and shown at the RSNA meeting, automates the planning, scanning, and processing of MR images. This promises to decrease overall exam time while increasing consistency and reliability, according to the company. The algorithm runs on all Philips MR systems.

Ultrasound reliably predicts success and failure of single-dose methotrexate treatment of ectopic pregnancy, according to research conducted at Boston Medical Center and presented at the RSNA meeting in December.

At many facilities, children with suspected appendicitis head straight to the CT scanner for evaluation. Ultrasound provides an alternative, accurate means of making an initial diagnosis, sparing many children from potentially harmful radiation exposure, according to a study presented Dec. 1 at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago.

In many institutions, children with suspected appendicitis head straight to the CT scanner for evaluation. Ultrasound provides an alternative, accurate means of making an initial diagnosis, sparing many children from potentially harmful radiation exposure, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Friday.

Ultrasound reliably predicts success and failure of single-dose methotrexate treatment of ectopic pregnancy, according to research conducted at Boston Medical Center and presented Wednesday at the RSNA meeting.

MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery is a safe, effective treatment for uterine fibroids, according to the results of a new multicenter trial presented at the RSNA meeting.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has an integral role to play in molecular imaging, according to studies presented Tuesday. Data from worldwide researchers suggest that applications for the evaluation of angiogenesis as well as for guidance, delivery, and assessment of gene therapy may signal new opportunities for ultrasound contrast agents.

Zonare Medical Systems upgraded its z.one ultrasound system with the introduction of two new transducers, calculation packages, and a program that automatically recognizes and adjusts for differences in body sound propagation.

For years, the focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) protocol enjoyed a pre-eminent role in blunt abdominal trauma imaging, but it is losing favor as CT becomes more common in emergency rooms. Research presented Monday suggested the days may be numbered for FAST.

At least one patch of radiology turf seems to be well under control. Radiologists perform the biggest share of vascular ultrasound studies by far, according to a new study of Medicare data.

Medison’s 3D Extended Imaging (3D XI) ultrasound image processing technology is now available on the SonoAce 8000 Live, its 3D ultrasound system specialized for ob/gyn, the company announced at the RSNA meeting.

Toshiba is introducing the latest improvements to its Aplio and Xario ultrasound systems at the 2005 RSNA meeting. The Aplio system has been enhanced with the company’s exclusive expanded Differential Tissue Harmonic Imaging (DTHI), while the Xario features 4D imaging.

TeraRecon unveiled two digital, multi-functional, color Doppler systems targeted for the portable ultrasound market on Sunday at the RSNA meeting. With the UF-785XTD and the UF-780XTD, the company is attempting to bring the functionality of portable ultrasound systems a step closer to cart-based machines.

Philips introduced its new HD11 XE ultrasound system, the HD3 portable ultrasound system, and Vision 2005 upgrades to its iU22 ultrasound system at the RSNA meeting Sunday.

In less than two weeks, TeraRecon will unveil two new products for the burgeoning and increasingly sophisticated portable ultrasound market. Both are multifunctional, digital, and ultraportable color Doppler systems.

It’s easy to get lost in the RSNA shuffle, espeically if you’re competing with multimillion-dollar MR and CT systems. Hundreds of exhibitors each year introduce noteworthy products that go virtually unnoticed. Some can even fit in the palm of your hand.

Kodak readies FDA pitch for CR mammographyThe next step in Kodak’s push to expand its market for computed radiography in mammography to the U.S. is under way. The company has begun the submission process to the FDA to approve its CR system for the detection of breast cancer. It plans to submit a series of “modules” for agency review. The first ones will contain manufacturing and nonclinical information regarding the DirectView CR 850, CR 950, and CR 975 systems. Kodak, which is selling CR mammography products outside the U.S., is currently conducting clinical trials of its digital mammography system at sites in the U.S. and Canada.If and when these systems appear in the U.S., they will not be the first such products (DI SCAN 10/10/05). Fuji began marketing CR technology for mammography in 1983 but voluntarily removed those products in the mid-1990s, when the FDA changed its position on digital mammography and required PMA review. Fuji turned in the final module of its premarket approval submission in March. Fuji executives believe approval of their CR mammography product is imminent.

The U.S. Senate last week passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes an amendment to fund a one-time ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Molecular imaging tracers, agents, and probes have been cast in a new tactical assemblage designed to improve investigational drug evaluations.

Although conventional x-ray hystero-salpingography remains the modality of choice to diagnose infertility, cumulative evidence seems to be tilting the scales in favor of 3D ultrasound.

Journal articles this month review complications and side effects brought on by radiofrequency ablation and other tumor ablation techniques and profile new technologies for tumor ablation procedures.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has updated its policy on fetal ultrasound studies performed without medical indications. Though the revised statement still targets keepsake imaging entrepreneurs, the new language looks at potential ethical violations by accredited ultrasound practitioners as well.

Ultrasound is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, as progress along familiar lines creates a critical mass of clinical capability.

Although ultrasound use in medicine continues to grow, the modality faces increasingly stiff competition from other modalities such as CT, MRI, and PET, which have undergone startling advances in the past several years. To respond to this competition, radiologists can employ several rapidly developing new technologies to enhance ultrasound's capabilities. With speckle reduction, volumetric imaging, and elastography, sonographers can reduce artifacts, improve image contrast, reduce image noise, and better gauge tissue stiffness to detect subtle hard-to-spot abnormalities. Proper use of these powerful new technologies can boost accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency to help keep ultrasound competitive with the other cross-sectional imaging modalities and perhaps open up new applications.

Multislice CT has certain advantages over ultrasound in the diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis, and clinicians are beginning to notice, according to an educational poster at the 2005 European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology meeting in Florence.