No one would think of roaming through unknown territory at night without a torch. Yet, anaesthetists have been doing just that when navigating through peripheral nerve blocks and vessels with a needle. Ultrasound has long been a useful imaging tool in this process. However, so far, this has been a case of the steeper the angle of the needle, the more difficult the ultrasound visualisation.
Sonography is a jack-of-all-medical-trades. Unlike magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography it does not require radiation and it is not performed by a radiologist but by the experts in the individual clinical disciplines. Technical progress has turned sonography into much more than the “stethoscope of the 21st century” – a sophisticated imaging modality that requires special…
The Mirror2plus, a top of the range, colour Doppler diagnostic system was demonstrated by Landwind Medical during the 63rd CMEF exhibition held this April in Shenzhen, China. ‘According to the practical clinical demand, Mirror2plus is substantially upgraded on other devices of the kind, as a general purpose colour Doppler unit,’ the firm reports.
Manufactured by Edan Instruments Inc. of Shenzhen, China, the DUS 60 is a compact, portable diagnostic ultrasound system designed to meet a wide range of clinical requirements including abdomen, OB/GYN, urology, small parts and biopsy.
S20, the newest colour Doppler system from ultrasound systems and transducers specialist SonoScape has an innovative ergonomic design, the latest ultrasound technology and powerful workflow.
Over the past 15 years, Mindray, of Shenzhen, China (http://www.mindray.com) has been increasingly in the limelight for its development and manufacturing of medical products that are marketed worldwide. The firm’s broad range of products cross three primary business segments: patient monitoring and life support, in-vitro diagnostics and medical imaging systems. Among these, Mindray’s broad…
A cardiologist at a UK hospital has become the first in the world to develop a technique to ‘slice’ 3-D images of the heart into intricate sections using computer software. The method, devised by consultant congenital cardiologist Dr Joseph Vettukattil at Southampton General Hospital, is known as multiplane review (MPR) 3-D echocardiography. This allows cardiologists to identify heart defects…
Tissue hardness provides radiologists and gynaecologists with significant information to help distinguish between benign and malignant tumours. Tumour tissue is harder and less malleable than normal glandular and fatty tissues. Therefore, the classification of tissue hardness determines whether a biopsy is necessary. For breast diagnoses, real-time tissue elastography, along with conventional…
Muscular diseases belong to a heterogeneous group with various causes like neurogenic, metabolic, dystrophic, or inflammatory mechanisms as well as channelopathies leading to disorders of the muscle cell membrane potential. In most progressive disease cases the result is a focal or general muscle weakness that, unfortunately, is a very unspecific symptom. Standard neuromuscular literature…
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation repeatedly compare well with surgery in the treatment of primary and secondary liver, kidney and lung tumours and the palliative care of bone cancer. Thus oncologists are increasingly attracted to using bloodless, non-invasive treatment methods. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), primarily used in myoma therapy, is leading medical…
Ultrasound is the undisputed choice for foetal imaging. However, the lack of amniotic fluid, an unfavourable foetal position or maternal obesity could daunt even the best radiographer. In such circumstances prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – a non-invasive and non-irradiating procedure – is a helpful diagnostic tool.
Developed in partnership with international cardiologists, Medison reports that its EKO7 Cardiovascular Ultrasound system is a dedicated Cardiovascular Ultrasound system ‘…with 2-D Image Quality that you would expect from a premium class ultrasound system. As a matter of fact, the same applies to the colour Doppler, Pulsed Wave Doppler and CWD. So the EKO7 has excellent image quality, a…
Innovative technologies such as elastography, shearwave and 3-D have been cause for euphoria in today’s ultrasound world. The most recent development in breast imaging also has the potential to revolutionise this field, because the Automated Volume Breast Scanner (ABVS) is allowing user-independent and reproducible image acquisition for the first time.
No white lab coats anywhere; instead men in hard hats, equipped with hammers and drills. The Düsseldorf University Hospital’s Cardiology Pneumology and Angiology Clinic is a construction site, but once the workmen have packed up their tools and removed the scaffolding the view to the human heart will be unobstructed and clearer than ever before. Here, innovative patient care and a highly…
Ongoing technical developments in computed tomography (CT) such as dual source CT have established coronary CT angiography (cCTA) as a robust non-invasive imaging test for the assessment of coronary artery disease. The most important advantage of cCTA over conventional catheter-based coronary angiography is that not only the coronary lumen but also the entire coronary artery wall is visualized…
The focus on Coronary artery disease – from genes to outcomes at ESC 2010 underlines the importance of CAD diagnosis on the scientific agenda. During the session ‘Multi modality imaging to detect coronary artery disease’, chaired by Professor JJ Bax, of the Cardiology Department at Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands, experts will discuss, for example, the advantages of the…
The new Dell Precision T5500 Long-Life workstation has been adopted by Siemens Healthcare Sector to power its Acuson SC2000 volume imaging ultrasound system. The selected workstation is part of a larger programme by Dell’s OEM division designed to provide longer manufacturing lifecycles, service and dependable system stability to address specific needs of the embedded and OEM markets.
Dr Alice Gillams, who heads the image guided tumour ablation programme at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), reported at this year’s ECR that Hitachi’s Real-time Virtual Sonography (HI RVS) fusion imaging technique can achieve more precise radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
Siemens Healthcare was presenting its latest solutions for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer at the German Radiology Congress in Berlin. These Breast Care Solutions include a variety of imaging procedures, such as ultrasound, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supplemented by IT and laboratory diagnostic solutions. Siemens places special focus on the third…
The Mirror2plus, a top of the range, colour Doppler diagnostic system was demonstrated by Landwind Medical during the 63rd CMEF exhibition held this April in Shenzhen, China. ‘According to the practical clinical demand, Mirror2plus is substantially upgraded on other devices of the kind, as a general purpose colour Doppler unit,’ the firm points out.
The past year has not improved the prospects for ultrasound, according to Lorenzo Derchi, MD, who chaired the session at ECR 2010 dedicated to « Future direction of ultrasound » and opened the discussion by saying the field is in decline.
At ECR 2010, Philips launches the GEMINI LXL, the newest PET/CT scanner, offering many of the features available on premium systems for those working in the clinical areas of both radiology and oncology. Also making its European debut is DoseAware, a new dose-saving solution for interventional procedures. Furthermore, Philips presents its new Sonalleve MR-HIFU Fibroid Therapy system, which offers…
During a symposium at ECR 2010 SuperSonic Imagine presented the preliminary results of the largest breast trial ever undertaken by an ultrasound company involving 956 breast cases. Some of them were presented to approximately 350 visitors by Prof. Ingrid Schreer, Kiel, Germany.
Cardiologists are looking beyond on-screen images of the heart to extract data behind these scans that describe coronary dysfunctions and can reveal hard evidence of the cause of disease reports John Brosky.
At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2010 in Vienna, Siemens Healthcare presented its innovative ultrasound solutions. The highlight this year was the new release of its premium Acuson S2000 ultrasound system featuring significant advancements in ARFI technology (Acoustic Radiation Force Imaging) for the detection and quantification of tissue. Combined with a 3D breast volume scanner…