FDA Clears Siemens’ Virtual Touch Ultrasound Application

Siemens Healthcare has received FDA clearance for its Virtual Touch imaging ultrasound application, the company announced.

This is the company’s first commercially available implementation of its Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse technology.

Virtual Touch, which uses sound beams to gently compress tissues, allows clinicians to visualize tissue stiffness, seeing deeper into the body, the company said. The technology displays a map, or elastogram, of relative tissue stiffness. The map is more uniform than manual compression techniques, the company said.

It is available on Siemens’ ACUSON S2000 and ACUSON S3000 systems. It is cleared for use in abdominal, breast, thyroid, small parts and musculoskeletal exams. The technology has been available for use in Europe and Asia since 2008.