Reviews and News on Ultrasound Machines

Ultrasound technology seems to be moving a lot faster, and in a lot more directions, than any other area of medicine. New innovations and advancements in imaging techniques have allowed medical equipment manufacturers to take portable ultrasound systems to the “next level.” One of these companies is Siemens.

A pioneer in 3D and 4D ultrasound imaging, Siemens has produced the world’s first stereoscopic real-time ultrasound machine, with both 3D and 4D capabilities. The Acuson S2000 portable ultrasound system offers breakthrough imaging technology that will shift the paradigms in ultrasound diagnostics. By dramatically improving accuracy and imaging quality, this machine has the potential to become the new standard for medical ultrasound imaging.

The technology employed in these new ultrasound machines comes from the world of 3D film and video and is capable of displaying a remarkable amount of volumetric information and unprecedented 3-D views of the anatomy using stereoscopic glasses.

The Acuson S2000 also includes a technology package, known as “4Sight Workplace”, which provides physicians with additional information for diagnostic imaging and treatment, as well as surgical planning.

Other applications in the Acuson 2000 system include Virtual Touch (HD5) technology, contrast-pulse sequencing and a new version of ARFi (Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse). Siemens also plans to highlight the Acuson 2000’s image fusion capabilities, which allow physicians to integrate multiple images from other modalities such as MRI and CT scans into the ultrasound image. Their new image fusion technology automatically aligns the other images into the current view of the ultrasound, for real-time image fusion.

With all of these new features and capabilities, the Acuson 2000 from Siemens is set to revolutionize ultrasound imaging for the 21st century.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment

Every day, it seems, another use for ultrasound machines is introduced to medical professionals.  Even for doctors who try to keep up with the medical journals, ultrasound seems to be moving faster than any other technology in the field of healthcare.

Here are just a few of the ways that ultrasound machines and related technology are being used today:

• In neurology, carotid ultrasonography is used to assess blood flow into the carotid arteries, as well as the intracerebral arteries.

• In cardiology, ultrasound is better known as echocardiography, which is essentially an ultrasound that shows the movement of the heart as the muscle dilates and contracts.
• Emergency medical technicians often use a form of ultrasound, including the FAST exam (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma).  Also, it is used in the ER as a routine method of quickly assessing the cause of a patient’s abdominal pain.
• Urologists commonly use ultrasound machines to detect the level of fluid that is in a patient’s bladder.
• Gynecologists may perform a pelvic sonogram to view an image of the pelvic floor in women and diagnose any abnormalities relating to the pelvic organs, bowels or urinary tract.
• Another use for ultrasound machines is for more detailed images of the tendons, nerves, muscles, ligaments and other soft tissue areas that may have been affected by injury or trauma.
• Arterial sonography is used by cardiologists to check for possible obstructions in the arteries, or do diagnose DVT.
• In gastroenterology, doctors can take a sonogram of the abdomen to view organs such as the aorta, pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys, liver and spleen.

Surgeons are finding even more uses for focused ultrasound, but more as a surgical tool than an imaging tool, but expect to see more developments in that area in the next few years.  As more areas of healthcare begin to use ultrasound machines, the major medical equipment manufacturers are creating specific versions of their equipment to match each of these medical specialties.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment

In a recent announcement to the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, GE Healthcare says that they have added new elastography functions to the company’s Logiq E9 ultrasound machines. Elastography in ultrasound is a technology that uses high-frequency transducers, along with basic compression techniques for simpler procedures that are easy to reproduce.

As opposed to less agile techniques in ultrasound imaging, the Logiq E9 uses an elastography tool that is able to more gently obtain images of internal tissue structures. It also allows physicians to better manage patient healthcare decisions and increases their overall confidence in a diagnosis. This type of imaging ultimately will lead to a reduction in invasive procedures.

Generally, the Logiq E9 ultrasound machine is known for giving healthcare professionals the freedom to use ultrasound techniques in new ways. It offers more powerful and versatile tools than that improve workflow and provide high quality images on all body types.

One feature of these machines is Scan Assist, a scanning program that was designed by user feedback and is completely customizable. Basically, with Scan Assist, clinicians can get immediate help with the next step of a scan, allowing them to focus on more important elements of the exam.

GE Healthcare offers a complete line of state-of-the-art ultrasound machines to meet the needs of every healthcare situation, from mobile units for emergency medicine to full-scale hospital equipment that can be used to meet a variety of patient care needs. The Logiq E9, with its new elastography capabilities, is expected drive revenues for the company into 2011 and beyond. With the expert tools on this machine, ultrasound can do more than ever before.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment