Siemens Healthcare has opened a new research centre in Cologne, where around 40 employees are developing new diagnostic tests to describe the molecular characteristics of breast cancer cells, to help physicians to select individual therapy.
If, in the early days of mammary sonography, it was revealed to be helpful to render tactual findings in a visible manner (sonic palpation), then now is the time to palpate clinically occult findings in a new manner (Elastoscan*).
High frequency ultrasound (US) techniques continue to improve with better resolution and exquisite B-Mode imaging, particularly with improved compounding techniques seen with the Aplipure product.
Last year, orthopaedics and sports medicine specialist Dr Rainer Burgkart (left), who is also a musculoskeletal researcher, selected a new C-Arm for use at the Technical University of Munich (Klinikum rechts der Isar). Recently, we asked him for the reasons behind this choice and his subsequent experience with this device.
Edan Instruments Inc., based in Shenzhen, China, is one of the leading medical equipment manufacturers involved in R&D, manufacturing and marketing.
This September, Carestream Health revealed the first wireless cassette-size DR Detector. The Carestream DRX-1 system, which incorporates a console and wireless 14x17 inch cassette-size digital radiography (DR) detector, provides a rapid, affordable conversion for users of radiographic film or computed radiography systems, Carestream explains.
It is safe to take anticoagulants before core needle breast biopsies, according to a study performed at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, NY.
Intima media thickness (IMT) is a valuable research tool that can be used as surrogate end points in clinical trails, says Professor Stefan Agewall.
Carestream Health's engineers created the first wireless DR detector which is not bigger than a standard cassette and can therefore withstand the challenging environment of a modern x-ray department. The rugged detector, case, and internal components are made to produce DR images of high quality under real-life x-ray department conditions.
Cardiologist Dr Malissa Wood, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA, has reported that a study of Olympic athletes, using GE Healthcare's Vivid I cardiac compact ultrasound technology, has allowed the medical research team in Beijing to identify healthy patterns of heart enlargement that can differentiate it from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Philips has added a new platform to its HD ultrasound products - the HD15 - which aims to provide small hospitals, clinics and private practices with advanced image clarity and broad application support for everyday use.
Royal Philips Electronics is to lead `euHeart´, the new European Union (EU) funded research project that aims to improve CVD diagnosis, therapy planning and treatment.
Every summer the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) holds Europe's biggest annual meeting of specialists in cardiovascular medicine, inviting and drawing in top international medical professionals. Karoline Laarmann asked Professor Kim Fox, President of the European Society of Cardiology and Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital, and professor of clinical cardiology at Imperial…
St. Jude Medical, Inc. has received European CE Mark approval and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its Epicor LP cardiac ablation system, a second generation technology that uses HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) for surgical ablation of cardiac tissue to disrupt abnormal cardiac electrical impulses.
Siemens Healthcare will show its Acuson S2000, the first ultrasound system in the new product series S, at the ESC*. The system platform includes integration of the newest technologies to optimise workflow, e.g. comprehensive software applications such as new software for breast imaging.
Last October the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) added a black box warning on ultrasound (US) contrast agents used in echocardiogram imaging examinations, around 200 reports of serious allergic reactions were received. Problems included cardiac arrest as well as breathing difficulty and seizures; seven of the cases resulted in death.
What is the role of vascular ultrasound in stroke prevention? Asked by Karoline Laarmann of European Hospital, Professor Christian Arning MD, Medical Director of the Neurology Department at Asklepios Klinik Wandsbek, Germany, and Deputy Chairman of the German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM), gave an unequivocal answer: crucial - but only if the sonographer is properly qualified.
`High performance systems need not be large,´ says Aloka, manufacturer of the new compact ProSound a7, which produces high-resolution images yet can be used in areas with little spare space. `Broadband Harmonics provides high sensitivity and penetration that is comparable to fundamental-frequency imaging resulting in a significant improvement above standard harmonic imaging,´ Aloka reports.
An emerging discipline of noninvasive cardiac imaging, molecular imaging, has evolved constantly in the last few years and is increasingly being translated from the preclinical to the clinical level. Molecular imaging allows for unique insights into specific disease mechanisms and holds great promise to change the practice of cardiovascular medicine by facilitating early disease detection,…
The first robotised tele-ultrasound examination has been performed by participants in the European Mobile And Robotised Tele-echography (MARTE) project, in collaboration with Robosoft, specialist in the development and production of service robot systems.
Although ultrasound imaging is a very powerful imaging modality it is mostly under-used Ultrasound combines several very appealing characteristics. It is among the non-invasive imaging modalities, indeed it is really non-invasive. Similar to MRI, no harm to the patient can be caused by ultrasound.
Martini Clinic, in the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) campus in Hamburg, is one of the world's major centres for nerve-sparing prostatectomy. The Martini physicians not only specialise in surgical intervention but are also at the cutting edge of diagnostics, being among the few in Germany to use sono-elastography, an innovative tool to detect prostate cancer. We asked Dr Georg Salomon (GS),…
Compact ultrasound technology provides greater diagnostic confidence within close proximity of athletes. The portable equipment from GE Healthcare is not much larger than a laptop, and delivers comparable results in terms of display quality to the high-end equipment used in hospitals.
The idea of measuring tissue stiffness using ultrasound is nothing new. But lately the field sets a rapid pace. “Real-time, hand-held elastography is now a commercial reality,” asserts Jonathan Ophir from the University of Texas Medical School.
