Ultrasound

OrthoView plans upgrade launchChinese center installs Varian imagerImaging Dynamics board chairman resignsCivco develops Ultrasonix needle guide

Concerns about the danger of thrombosis resulting from the use of drug-eluting stents, combined with confidence in the safety of bare metal stents, have driven down the use of drug-eluting stents substantially over the past year, according to Volcano Corporation. That’s bad news for the makers of drug-eluting stents but good news for the makers of intravascular ultrasound systems. The top executive at Volcano reports a surge in the sale of the systems.

Ultrasound strain imaging, or elastography, can show the difference between a benign breast mass and a tumor, avoiding biopsy. Although accuracy depends on the skill of the reader, strain imaging can be used to better determine which masses should be biopsied.

Nordion partners on AD compoundsSiemens targets rural ChinaCivco tailors needle system

Intravascular ultrasound maker adds embolic protection deviceNightHawk leaps at the bellAdvanced Magnetics founder retiresAccuray device passes milestone

Like many legal feuds between two major competitors, the one now building between SonoSite and Zonare has broad ramifications that threaten to involve other companies and their products. Whether the case spills into the rest of the ultrasound industry may depend on the specifics of two patents now at issue.

FDA decision on Epix agent drags onVI and Toshiba renew partnershipFonar expands presence in Middle EastSonoSite boosts UK anatomy training

The double lung point is an ultrasound sign that may help diagnose transient tachypnea of the newborn, a respiratory disorder currently diagnosed mainly by excluding other disorders. A recent study identified the double lung point in newborns already diagnosed with transient tachypnea.

Physicians, scientists, and other stakeholders formed the Foundation for Focused Ultrasound Research in January 2005 as a nonprofit vehicle to promote the specialty of high-intensity focused ultrasound.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has shown promise as a pain management strategy in patients with bone metastases for whom other treatments are ineffective, according to researchers at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel (Ann Oncol 2007;18:163-167).

The use of high-intensity focused ultrasound for various therapeutic applications has continued to grow since Lynn et al first proposed it in 1942.1 Advances in medical imaging technology in the last two decades have led to its widespread use in both research and clinical practice for the treatment of benign and malignant tumors, hemostasis, uterine fibroids, and other conditions.

For the first time, data accrued over a decade show that the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in clinical breast cancer research may have significantly influenced study design, focus, and results, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Cancer.

Women's health and imaging's role in it are of enormous social, economic, and psychological importance. Recognition of this importance prompted the University of Rochester Medical Center's imaging sciences department to hold its first annual Women's Health and Imaging in a Digital Environment conference in San Antonio, TX, in January 2007.

Modern high-resolution ultrasound has excellent spatial and contrast resolution for the near field, and the development of 3D technology, extended field-of-view or panoramic imaging, and color flow and power Doppler applications has led to great improvements in its diagnostic utility and accuracy.

Toshiba unveils Virtual Explorer at ACCAgfa releases nuc cardiology ITGE releases cardiac workstationToshiba showcases echo packageAgfa wins German IT contractCoActiv recruits new regional sales manager

3D ultrasound innovator allies with SiemensToshiba showcases vascular systemSiemens upgrades Acuson SequoiaPhilips and Volcano mesh cath lab products

Diagnosis of pneumoperitoneum with ultrasound could be more consistent and reliable if operators look for the enhanced peritoneal stripe sign. A recent study from an emergency room setting in India showed that this method, which proved reliable in animal models, was also an accurate sign of air in the peritoneal cavity in humans.

Outsourcing group wins Varian contractNordion plans expansionPET assists in phase 1 drug trialCarestream Health unveils logoBoston Scientific notches milestone

Trails blazed in medicine often bring controversy and even consternation. Breast care is no different. Since 1965, when the American College of Radiology formed the Committee on Mammography, advances in breast imaging and legislation to ensure its quality have largely centered on x-ray mammography.

Zone Sonography had been on the market for nearly two years before SonoSite formally charged its developer, Zonare Medical Systems, with patent infringement. In its lawsuit, filed in late February, SonoSite alleged that Zonare’s z.one, which converts from a midtier cart-based system to a compact hand-carried unit, violates its “412 patent,” described generally as covering a portable ultrasound system weighing less than 10

In late February,SonoSite -- the first company to commercialize a modern hand-carried ultrasound unit -- filed a lawsuit alleging patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division. This lawsuit, while specific to Zonare Medical Systems, holds extraordinary significance for all developers of hand-carried ultrasound systems, putting the industry on notice that SonoSite will vigorously defend its intellectual property.

Ultrasound is more accurate than conventional screening for detecting goiter in patients on long-term lithium therapy, according to a recent study from Germany. Lithium therapy inhibits normal function of the thyroid, but clinical inspection and palpation missed goiter in some patients in whom it was detected with ultrasound.

Patient files lawsuit against OptiMark makers Europe approves Kodak/Onex dealGE showcases laptop scanner at AIUM meetingACR launches research group

Sonoelastography shows strong performance in prostate cancer detection, but room for improvement remains when it comes to specificity, according to research from the Medical University Innsbruck presented at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna.

ContextVision unveils ultrasound algorithmSpineAssist improves safety, precision

This month’s review glances through a survey of safety issues among practitioners of fetal ultrasonography. We ran into a study using computer-adided detection to differentiate benign from malignant breast tumors. In a different study, researchers inAsia discuss a new application to detect a bacterial pathogen associated with increasing levels of liver disease and even diabetes in Western and Eastern populations. We also found an interesting study advocating the use of “telesonography” to aid developing countries where ultrasound scanners represent the dominant -- sometimes the only -- imaging modality. Finally, we summarize a review of a new book about pediatric musculoskeletal disease.

GE 3T serves interventional suiteAloka reaches milestoneKodak XR film program stays on trackScImage bags VHA contractNovaRad adds billing module to RISPET pioneer turns to security

Sonoelastography shows strong performance in prostate cancer detection, but room for improvement remains when it comes to specificity, according to research from the Medical University Innsbruck in Austria, a leading center in prostate imaging research.

Buyers of Zonare Medical Systems’ latest iteration, the z.one ultra, will read images whose gain and brightness have been automatically adjusted using software advances. The same allows automatic spectral Doppler waveform tracing. Reader will be able to see the images as never before.

Ultrasound techniques that are improving prostate cancer detection, grading, and staging are useful in men presenting with an elevated level of prostate specific antigen. They offer therapeutic strategies and may avoid the need for prostatectomy. In the future, surgery may not be the number one treatment choice, according to speakers at a special focus session on imaging in patients with elevated PSA levels.