Ultrasound

Philips introduced its new HD11 XE ultrasound system, the HD3 portable ultrasound system, and Vision 2005 upgrades to its iU22 ultrasound system at the RSNA meeting Sunday.

In less than two weeks, TeraRecon will unveil two new products for the burgeoning and increasingly sophisticated portable ultrasound market. Both are multifunctional, digital, and ultraportable color Doppler systems.

It’s easy to get lost in the RSNA shuffle, espeically if you’re competing with multimillion-dollar MR and CT systems. Hundreds of exhibitors each year introduce noteworthy products that go virtually unnoticed. Some can even fit in the palm of your hand.

Kodak readies FDA pitch for CR mammographyThe next step in Kodak’s push to expand its market for computed radiography in mammography to the U.S. is under way. The company has begun the submission process to the FDA to approve its CR system for the detection of breast cancer. It plans to submit a series of “modules” for agency review. The first ones will contain manufacturing and nonclinical information regarding the DirectView CR 850, CR 950, and CR 975 systems. Kodak, which is selling CR mammography products outside the U.S., is currently conducting clinical trials of its digital mammography system at sites in the U.S. and Canada.If and when these systems appear in the U.S., they will not be the first such products (DI SCAN 10/10/05). Fuji began marketing CR technology for mammography in 1983 but voluntarily removed those products in the mid-1990s, when the FDA changed its position on digital mammography and required PMA review. Fuji turned in the final module of its premarket approval submission in March. Fuji executives believe approval of their CR mammography product is imminent.

The U.S. Senate last week passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes an amendment to fund a one-time ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Molecular imaging tracers, agents, and probes have been cast in a new tactical assemblage designed to improve investigational drug evaluations.

Although conventional x-ray hystero-salpingography remains the modality of choice to diagnose infertility, cumulative evidence seems to be tilting the scales in favor of 3D ultrasound.

Journal articles this month review complications and side effects brought on by radiofrequency ablation and other tumor ablation techniques and profile new technologies for tumor ablation procedures.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has updated its policy on fetal ultrasound studies performed without medical indications. Though the revised statement still targets keepsake imaging entrepreneurs, the new language looks at potential ethical violations by accredited ultrasound practitioners as well.

Ultrasound is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, as progress along familiar lines creates a critical mass of clinical capability.

Although ultrasound use in medicine continues to grow, the modality faces increasingly stiff competition from other modalities such as CT, MRI, and PET, which have undergone startling advances in the past several years. To respond to this competition, radiologists can employ several rapidly developing new technologies to enhance ultrasound's capabilities. With speckle reduction, volumetric imaging, and elastography, sonographers can reduce artifacts, improve image contrast, reduce image noise, and better gauge tissue stiffness to detect subtle hard-to-spot abnormalities. Proper use of these powerful new technologies can boost accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency to help keep ultrasound competitive with the other cross-sectional imaging modalities and perhaps open up new applications.

Multislice CT has certain advantages over ultrasound in the diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis, and clinicians are beginning to notice, according to an educational poster at the 2005 European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology meeting in Florence.

Ultrasound plus confirmatory fine-needle aspiration cytology can reliably diagnose melanoma metastases, including those less than 6 mm in diameter. Use of the technique enabled over 12% of patients with lymph node metastases to undergo immediate lymph node dissection without the need for prior sentinel node dissection, according to a German study presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando.

A new contrast-based Doppler ultrasound technique can predict within the first two weeks of treatment which patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) will respond to Gleevec (imatinib) therapy, according to a study presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando.

Doves like truces. A truce gives the two sides a chance to enjoy peace, if only for a short time. Maybe they’ll like it enough to stop fighting altogether, or so the thinking goes.

The shared services market for ultrasound is evolving. Practice patterns long established in Asia and Europe are cropping up in the U.S., prompting midsize and even large hospitals to buy ultrasound scanners designed for cardiological as well as radiological applications, according to Philips Medical Systems.

Doves like truces. A truce gives the two sides a chance to enjoy peace, if only for a short time. Maybe they’ll like it enough to stop fighting altogether, or so the thinking goes.

Researchers from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have performed real-time functional cardiac MRI in fetuses. Theirs is the first report of this technique, which may represent an advance over the current gold standard of fetal echocardiography.

Doppler ultrasonography with perfusion software and contrast agent injection can be used to predict which patients with metastatic renal cell cancer will respond to treatment with the antiangiogenic drug sorafenib, according to a study presented at the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando.

Near-infrared light used with ultrasound can zero in on early-stage breast tumors, potentially reducing the number of biopsies, according to a study in the October issue of Radiology.

GE enhances ProdigyBone densitometry isn’t just for adults any more. GE Healthcare has enhanced its Prodigy bone mineral density system to support pediatric applications. New tools evaluate the pediatric skeleton relative to a child’s body size and skeletal age, as well as chronological age comparison. The upgrade was unveiled at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research meeting in Nashville Sept. 23 to 27.

The ultrasound market in the U.S. stumbled last year, with the exception of hand-carried systems. Sales of ultrasound units were flat in 2004, but demand for handheld systems grew in the double digits, according to industry sources. The physicians driving those sales included not only radiologists but relative newcomers to the ultrasound fold such as surgeons and emergency room physicians.

Today's log at the imaging center shows 15 patients scheduled for different examinations. Most come with abdominal or musculoskeletal symptoms, and almost half of them are overweight. The daytime sonographer called in sick earlier, so the radiologist needs to make a tough call: Does she perform 15 ultrasound exams herself or does she shuttle everyone through to any of the CT or MR scanners available?

Philips has released a package of enhancements and new system configurations for its ultrasound portfolio. The upgrades, known collectively as Vision 2005, include new capabilities for the company’s latest radiology and cardiology platforms.

Mammography study boosts CAD prospectsiCAD expands partnershipFDA approves Kodak mammography CADHospital chain taps AquariusNETSectra snags U.S. distributorFonar scores in GermanyEpix appoints interim CEOVital Images installs new execsDaiichi, GE strike agreementKereos bags $19.5 million financingMerge eMed marketing initiative pays offSonoSite signs veterinary distributor

Thyroid nodules with dominant central vascularization have a greater chance of being malignant. The vascularization of thyroid nodules can be a complementary criterion in indication of the nodule for fine-needle aspiration, according to studies presented at the 2005 European Congress of Radiology meeting.

Merge eMed unveils fetal 3D packageTwo-D fetal images can be reconstructed in 3D using a plug-in package developed by Cedara Software. The product, called Baby Explorer, is being marketed by Cedara’s parent company, Merge eMed. It runs on a standard PC, supports multiple image types, and exports images that can be printed on standard printers or saved on CD-ROMs.

July saw just one more FDA clearance (24) than the previous month, but the number of sophisticated submissions took a sharp turn to the north. Devices in image management and CT promise interesting twists on established offerings, while others in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, and x-ray indicate expansions of some vendors’ product lines.

China’s increasing demand for modern healthcare innovations has given a welcome boost to the makers of medical imaging equipment. With no sign of a slowdown in growth, it is little wonder that Siemens Medical Solutions is ramping up its investment in this market.