Hitachi previews digital ultrasound

Hitachi unveiled its fully digital ultrasound system at the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine convention in San Francisco this month. The Hitachi 6000 platform uses a Microsoft Windows operating system that will support software upgrades. The platform’s digital beam former has 256 channel quad processing, 150 dB dynamic range, and wide-band focusing to maximize frame rate and resolution from the near field to the far field.

Harmonic tissue imaging, enhanced artifact suppression algorithms, and the ability to image blood flow are other features of the system. The image file log allows tracking and merging of serial studies using a key word search or by patient name. The Hitachi 6000 will image in a variety of physiological areas: radiology, obstetrics, gynecology, urology, and cardiology.