Features of high-end cart-based ob/gyn scanners officially trickled down to lapsize ultrasound systems this week when GE Healthcare launched its new ob/gyn portfolio at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting in San Diego.
Features of high-end cart-based ob/gyn scanners officially trickled down to lapsize ultrasound systems this week when GE Healthcare launched its new ob/gyn portfolio at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting in San Diego.
GE's new 11-pound Voluson e entered the company's portfolio, designed specifically for use in labor and delivery and in gynecological examinations, as well as in assisted reproductive technologies. Among its high-end features is 3D imaging designed specifically for ob/gyn applications.
"You can do a 3D sweep of the ovary to see the shape and size of the follicles, as well as get a follicle count," said Terri Bresenham, GE's vice president of diagnostic ultrasound and IT.
Meanwhile, the company bolstered the power of its midtier lapsize scanner - the Voluson i - with computer-aided diagnostics.
The trend toward packing more power into smaller packages has led to a three-tier hierarchy in the GE ultrasound portfolio. Standard cart-based systems are at the top tier. Specialized "console-quality" systems - designated with an i - occupy the middle tier. The compact series e products, at the bottom tier, provide specialized capabilities at value prices that may expand ultrasound's reach into new clinical areas.
The Premier Voluson E8, which GE is positioning as the next generation of sonography for women's healthcare, represents the top tier. The 256-channel scanner, launched last fall, is outfitted with advanced capabilities, including SonoVCAD (sonography-based volume computer-aided diagnosis), which streamlines volumetric image acquisition of the fetal heart, and an enhanced high-resolution 4D transvaginal probe.
GE migrated this CAD capability into its Voluson i, where it can automate the imaging process. Now an operator need only acquire the 3D data set and indicate the heart axis with the cursor to generate standardized views of the fetal heart.
Although the company's latest ultrasound system, the Voluson e, is the same size as the Voluson i, it does not share its performance. The Voluson e is intended, for more price-sensitive customers, such as single practitioners in an ob/gyn office, who may not require the advanced capabilities that clinicians such as perinatologists may need, Bresenham sai.
With the Voluson e, GE now has a scanner for almost every ob/gyn niche. Providing such choices is the cornerstone of GE's strategy for the ultrasound marketplace.
"We are building systems that have just the tools that are needed," Bresenham said.
This development of specialized systems will continue as long as evolving care patterns continue to generate demand, she said.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
Study Finds Transvaginal Ultrasound Unreliable for Detecting Endometrial Cancer in Black Patients
July 3rd 2024Utilizing a threshold of less than 5 mm of ultrasound-measured endometrial thickness, the authors of a new study noted an 11.4 percent false-negative probability for endometrial cancer in Black patients.
New Study Shows Non-Radiologists Interpreting 28 Percent of Imaging for Medicare Patients
June 28th 2024While radiologists interpreted approximately 99 percent of all non-cardiac CT, MRI and nuclear medicine studies in hospital and emergency department settings for Medicare beneficiaries, new research shows significantly less radiologist review of cardiac imaging and office-based imaging.
FDA Clears Pocket-Sized ECG System and AI Technology for Detection of Cardiac Conditions
June 27th 2024Using a reduced leadset and deep neural network algorithms trained on more than 175 million electrocardiograms, the KAI 12L technology reportedly detects up to 35 cardiac determinations, including acute myocardial infarction.