August 17, 2016 — Carestream showcased its Touch Prime and Touch Prime XE Ultrasound Systems at the Society for Vascular Ultrasound conference, Aug. 11-13 in Chicago. These systems are currently available in the United States and a Health Canada license is under review.
Carestream’s new Smart Flow imaging technology eliminates the transducer angle limitations of ordinary Doppler ultrasound, and its proprietary Smart Flow method can visualize and measure velocity even when blood flow is perpendicular to the acoustic beam. The resulting measurements are angle independent, and therefore less prone to measurement error. The new ultrasound systems also visualize blood flow in all directions including axial and transverse, which provides more comprehensive information about hemodynamics to assist with diagnostic decisions.
Color coding and arrows automatically display information from Smart Flow technology on the Touch Prime Ultrasound platform. The length of the arrow, in addition to the color, indicates magnitude. The orientation of the arrow indicates flow direction. Ordinary color and spectral Doppler ultrasound only measure velocity of flow components toward or away from a transducer.
Carestream’s advanced SynTek Architecture simultaneously provides enhanced spatial detail with increased frame rates for improved visualization of moving structures, while optimizing image formation to reduce noise and artifacts. Imaging and Doppler improvements allow for more consistent visualization of subtle tissue contrast differences and can increase the ability to see small structures. These systems also deliver uniform lateral resolution over the entire depth and deeper penetration for imaging of the abdomen and other areas.
Carestream offers specialized transducers for vascular imaging as well as radiology, OB/GYN and musculoskeletal imaging. A direct transducer interface to the ultrasound processing board delivers lower noise and higher image quality, and four transducers can be connected simultaneously to any of the system’s four ports. A single touch of a button on the transducer allows the user to activate the transducer as well as program two additional functions from a list of 16 commonly used functions.
The Touch Prime XE is capable of frame rates in excess of 100Hz while maintaining enhanced imaging detail, and includes optional features such as a DICOM package, barcode and radiofrequency identification (RFID) badge readers. Wireless connectivity provides rapid image transfers to picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), radiology information systems (RIS) and other systems. An integrated gel warmer delivers added convenience and patient comfort.
The Touch Ultrasound platform’s design is based upon recommendations by sonographers and ultrasound professionals across the world. These systems feature a sealed, all-touch control panel that combines the speed and flexibility of a soft user interface with the tactile feedback of traditional keys. Etched marking for primary controls equips the user to easily locate frequently used functions without looking away from the image display monitor.
For more information: www.carestream.com
