Scientists from the project SOLUS (Smart optical and ultrasound diagnostics of breast cancer) under the EU funding framework programme Horizon2020 have developed a non-invasive, multi-modal, imaging system that uses ultrasound and light technologies to easily differentiate between benign or malignant lesions – without having to perform a biopsy. Similar to a pregnancy ultrasound appointment, a…
St Helier Hospital in the London Borough of Sutton – part of the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust – has one of the largest renal medicine departments in the UK, and relies on Fujifilm SonoSite point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) systems to improve care and patient safety. Dr Pritpal Virdee, a senior registrar in the department, explained: “We have a very busy renal department…
Surgery for appendicitis is the most common emergency operation in children. A new study has found that the UK has the highest reported national rate of ‘normal appendicectomy,’ where children undergo surgery for suspected appendicitis but laboratory examination of the removed appendix finds it to be normal. Although most children who are misdiagnosed as having appendicitis improve without…
Doctors have used focused ultrasound to destroy tumors in the body without invasive surgery for some time. However, the therapeutic ultrasound used in clinics today indiscriminately damages cancer and healthy cells alike. Most forms of ultrasound-based therapies either use high-intensity beams to heat and destroy cells or special contrast agents that are injected prior to ultrasound, which can…
The rapid scanning and dynamic imaging capabilities offered by point-of-care ultrasound make it an invaluable tool for emergency medicine. Dr Enrique Ortiz Villacian (from Emergency Services at Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastián) and Dr Juanjo Zafra Sanchez (from the Emergency Unit at San Eloy Hospital in Barakaldo) discussed the role ultrasound plays in their respective emergency…
A new, portable breast imaging system under development in Buffalo has the potential to better identify breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. That is among the findings of a study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. The study was led by University at Buffalo researchers in collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Windsong…
Dr Philippe Mahiou practices anaesthesia in the Grenoble area, splitting his time between a private clinic and working as a helicopter doctor to attend mountaineering accidents. As part of his work, Mahiou routinely uses ultrasound, and understands the importance of the technology to guide anaesthesia in the operating room and assess patients in the field. When anaesthetist Dr Philippe Mahiou…
Whilst researchers acknowledge ultrasound, when used as a tool to assess intracranial pressure in an emergency, is not a replacement for current gold standard invasive approaches, they believe it has enormous potential as a non-invasive and fast, cost-effective, and patient-friendly way to assess possible brain injury at a patient’s bedside. Consultant anaesthetist Dr Chiara Robba, a specialist…
Biopsies are standard procedures in interventional radiology, not least for patients with a suspected tumor. In this instance, MRI is increasingly the method of choice for guiding minimally invasive tissue sampling. Yet this involves having to undergo repeated MRI scans, which patients find uncomfortable. In an ongoing R&D project, Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a system that…
Dr Nicolas Azulay is a general medicine doctor specialising in scheduled and emergency ultrasound examinations at the University Hospitals of Nice, where he works at the Pasteur II and Cimiez hospitals. As part of the clinical research programme GERICARE, he recently studied the impact of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) assessment of patients admitted to the short-stay geriatric unit at Cimiez,…
To demonstrate advances in 5G connectivity for healthcare, a UK team has linked a paramedic in a simulated ambulance to a hospital-based clinician. The paramedic wore a robotic or ‘haptic’ glove, which received signals over the live 5G network. Using a joystick, the clinician remotely directed the paramedic to move the ultrasound sensor to where on the patient the clinician wanted to scan.…
Royal Philips and B. Braun Melsungen AG announced the launch of Onvision, a breakthrough ultrasound guidance solution for real-time needle tip tracking in regional anesthesia. Available on the latest version of the B. Braun and Philips Xperius ultrasound system, Onvision gives anesthesiologists the confidence to accurately position the needle tip inside the body. The introduction is part of a…
Doctors are using microbubbles and ultrasound to treat heart attacks – deploying these traditional diagnostic tools in an attempt to reopen tiny blood vessels, reduce scar size and restore heart function, according to a study described at a medical conference in Chicago. “This study shows for the first time that microbubbles can be used to both diagnose and treat small vessel obstructions…
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) systems are becoming a common sight in nephrology departments and renal dialysis clinics, helping clinical staff to evaluate and effectively access the vasculature of dialysis patients. Dr Jean-Yves Bosc, a nephrologist and vascular doctor working at the non-profit private health establishment AIDER SANTÉ in the South of France, has been a champion of ultrasound…
SuperSonic Imagine announces that a multicenter retrospective study conducted in Europe and China, has confirmed the clinical utility of ShearWave Elastography in patients with chronic liver disease, the first results of which were presented at the International Liver Congress (ILC 2019). The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of ShearWave Elastography (SWE) in the…
The pros and cons of CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CEUS (contrast enhanced ultrasound) for emergency abdominal use were highlighted by speakers in an ECR 2019 session under the broader heading: ‘Abdominal Emergencies: advanced imaging in daily routine’.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is widely used in hospitals across the country. However, as these systems are often shared between departments, and consultants may work at more than one hospital within a trust, there is a clear advantage to choosing instruments from a single supplier wherever possible. Jim McWilliams, Associate Director for Technical Services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in…
The 3D functions of the TOMTEC software package helped to establish reference values for volume ultrasound diagnosis of congenital heart defects in children.
At ECR 2019, Jean-Luc Budillon, President & COO of Hitachi Medical Systems Europe, introduces the newest members of the Arietta Family. The Arietta 50, Arietta 50LE and Arietta 65 ultrasound systems are perfectly equipped for shared service in diagnostic imaging. From OB/Gyn to radiology, the 3 new Arietta systems complete Hitachi's portfolio of ultrasound solutions.
Fujifilm SonoSite is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned SonoSite Institute, a comprehensive online educational resource dedicated to empowering and educating healthcare providers about point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). The enhanced website takes account of feedback from current users worldwide to offer an improved user experience, easier to locate content, and reconfigured learning…
A one-off operation that targets the nerves connected to the kidney has been found to maintain reduced blood pressure in hypertension patients for at least six months, according to the results of a clinical trial led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, and supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The study, published in the journal…
The international LUCA consortium has developed a non-invasive, low-cost device that brings a new solution for thyroid cancer screening. Funded by the European Commission, the device aims to attain more precise and accurate diagnosis of thyroid nodules to help reduce unnecessary surgeries.
Radiologist Alexis Kelekis, Associate Professor of Interventional and Musculoskeletal Radiology at Attikon University Hospital, Athens, speaks about his work and developments in merging scans and techniques to gain greater accuracy in diagnosis and planning. The benefits of fusion imaging are widely acknowledged. Favoured in clinical practice by radiologist Alexis Kelekis, he explained: ‘The…
New medical software which overlays tumour information from MRI scans onto ultrasound images is helping to improve detection of prostate cancer by guiding surgeons as they conduct biopsies. Developed at University College London (UCL), the software is deployed via a system called SmartTarget and embraces artificial intelligence (AI) to use both systems in tandem to enable surgeons to pick up…
Technological change is a major part of change management in radiology and it is inevitable. Artificial intelligence (AI) has slipped into every area of life including the hospital, and is already making decisions in radiology systems. The good news is that radiologists could win on two fronts, provided they play their cards well, a leading USA radiologist told delegates at a recent congress in…