Ultrasound

Philips releases low-cost ultrasound systemUltrasound users have a new mobile ultrasound system to consider. The HD3 is the smallest, most mobile, and easiest-to-use ultrasound system to join its portfolio, according to Philips Medical Systems. The high-definition system, designed for small office practices, hospitals, and clinics, provides gray-scale and color Doppler imaging with one-button image optimization, cineloop review, and tissue harmonic imaging. It features an adjustable flat-panel monitor and analysis packages with measurements for a variety of exams.

Siemens closes in on CTI acquisitionAs of May 4, 94% of the outstanding shares of CTI Molecular Imaging had been acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions as part of that company’s bid to acquire the Knoxville, TN, firm. Siemens expects to complete the acquisition through a merger in which all CTI shares not validly tendered will be converted into the right to receive $20.50 per share. CTI would then become a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions. CTI Molecular Imaging is a supplier of PET products and services with annual revenues above $400 million and annual income near $60 million.

Stroke patients given a thrombolytic agent along with continuous ultrasound monitoring fared better than patients who received thrombolysis alone. Accelerating the dissolution of emboli could potentially increase the duration of the critical three-hour window in which lysis must be performed, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Zonare Medical Systems has begun shipping its z.one convertible, an ultrasound system that converts from a full-featured cart-based midtier system to a compact unit.

Orbis has a new look: a graphical user interface called NICE (new interface for cool ergonomics). NICE integrates international standards, thereby laying the groundwork for expansion of the Orbis installed base beyond its stronghold in western Europe. Orbis is a suite of hospital IT applications developed by Agfa’s latest corporate acquisition GWI that operates at more than 2000 medical sites in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. The standardized interface allows individual adaptation, which optimizes the ergonomics of Orbis, according to the company. GWI demonstrated the new interface at the Information Technology for Healthcare trade show in Frankfurt in April.

The notion that stroke is a male disease may be putting women at risk. A recent study found women are less likely than men to receive certain diagnostic tests for stroke.

W. L. Gore & Associates, best known in the medical world for its fluoropolymer-based surgical products, has acquired ultrasound manufacturer Tetrad.

SonoSite will break new ground today, April 18, with the release of a handheld ultrasound system designed to compete in image quality and applications with high-end cart-based systems.

The European Congress of Radiology in March functions as an encore to the RSNA meeting held three months earlier, affording vendors the opportunity to present new products not ready for release during the Chicago meeting. It also gave vendors a chance to showcase offerings whose RSNA introduction was overshadowed by other products.

The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System for ultrasound can reliably characterize breast tumors, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Cedara Software has submitted an application to the FDA to market software that promises to help physicians differentiate benign from malignant lesions on breast sonograms.

Planar’s Dashboard hits the roadMedical displays are proliferating, appearing not just in radiology but in far-flung corners of hospitals and physician offices. To help PACS administrators manage those displays, Planar has developed the Dome Dashboard software console. This console, which is now commercially available, simplifies the centralized management, monitoring, and control of medical imaging displays. Dashboard alerts administrators when a display slips out of alignment, such as a change in the white level or drop in DICOM calibration conformance.

Siemens plans to commercially launch a new member of its Sonoline “G” family of ultrasound scanners by early May. The G40 entry-level color system will primarily target physician offices and community hospitals in the U.S. The niche will expand in Europe and Asia to include midsized hospitals.

So far this year, the regulatory agency has cleared 53 radiological devices, 18 more than the number cleared in the first two months of 2004. Last year’s performance is significant in that the FDA cleared more devices (349) than in any year since SCAN began keeping records of FDA clearances in 2000.

Although radiologists recognize ultrasound's value for the evaluation and diagnosis of musculoskeletal conditions, most prefer to use MR imaging in their daily practice, according to a recent survey.

Specialists such as rheumatologists, physiatrists, sports medicine physicians, and orthopedic surgeons increasingly use ultrasound in their clinical practices. But most radiologists find reassurance in their firm grip on musculoskeletal MR imaging. A number of them fear, however, that in forfeiting musculoskeletal ultrasound they risk losing musculoskeletal imaging altogether.

Most musculoskeletal radiologists prefer to use MRI in their daily practice even though they recognize the value of ultrasound to evaluate and diagnose many MSK conditions, according to results of a survey presented at the 2004 RSNA meeting.

Vendors got off to a better than usual start with the FDA this year, clearing 28 devices through the 510(k) process. This was the second highest number of devices cleared by the agency during January in six years. The month was overshadowed only by January 2003, when the industry earned 29 clearances.

Mercury Computer Systems has emerged from the shadows of medical imaging with a portfolio of advanced processing products and services. The company, which previously served mostly as a supplier of 2D imaging components to major OEMs, has begun shopping 3D and 4D products around the imaging industry. These products vary from software only to software-hardware combinations and are designed to perform critical functions in diagnostic and interventional products, as well as PACS.

The need to deliver as little radiation as possible to patients was evident during a Monday scientific session on CT imaging of the urinary tract. Researchers presented studies that ranged in dose from 20 mAs to 200 mAs. Those on the high end were sure to be grilled.

Cedara is unveiling this week a CAD system designed for ultrasound. The Canadian software developer is exhibiting the new technology at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna as part of an extensive offering of PACS tools addressing orthopedic planning, digital mammography screening, 3D, multislice CT, and PET/CT. The ECR is the first major exhibit of Cedara’s technologies since the company announced Jan. 18 its planned acquisition by Merge Technologies.

The ECR hosted the unveiling of Philips’ latest high-performance ultrasound system, the HD (High Definition) 11. The company launched the system commercially in mid-February as a state-of-the-art alternative for budget-strapped healthcare facilities.

While exploration of Mars and Saturn accounts for most of the news from outer space these days, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have quietly published the results of a shoulder ultrasound exam performed in zero gravity.

Chronic pot smokers may experience problems with thinking or remembering even after abstaining, and decreased cerebral blood flow may be the cause, according to researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Italian imaging systems manufacturer Esaote is planning a radical change in the way its ultrasound scanners handle acoustic information. The Genoa-headquartered company, part of the Bracco group, is preparing to swap a high-tech silicon-based transducer for its conventional ceramic-based technology. The move, scheduled to start in spring 2006, could make Esaote the first ultrasound manufacturer to abandon the decades-old method of converting acoustic waves into images with piezoelectric crystals.