New Ultrasound System Offers High Resolution Imaging

October 26, 2010 – New ultrasound systems on display at RSNA will demonstrate enhanced patient care, increased clinical confidence and will bring more diagnostic information to the reading room. The iU22 xMatrix premium ultrasound system, by Philips, features an ergonomically designed X6-1 PureWave xMatrix array transducer.

The transducer offers ultra-thin slice imaging resulting in crisp, high-resolution images and includes the new Live xPlane feature, which allows clinicians to create two full-resolution images simultaneously, capturing twice as much clinical information in the same amount of time without moving, turning or rotating the transducer. Sweeping an entire area of interest is achieved through trackball technology, eliminating the need to sweep manually.

Clinical trials have shown that xPlane speeds workflow, improves perception of anatomy and has the potential to minimize the frequent repetitive stress injuries experienced in the field of sonography.

“Ninety percent of sonographers routinely experience work-related pain and more than 20 percent of these suffer a career-ending injury,” said Joan P. Baker, founder and past president of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and president and owner at Sound Ergonomics.

“Work-related pain and injury is a key concern for all sonographers,” said Sandra Allison, M.D., diagnostic radiology specialist at Georgetown University Medical Center. “We’ve found that the X6-1’s unique capabilities are an effectual means of addressing the common problem of musculoskeletal disorders related to sonography.”

The X6-1 PureWave xMATRIX transducer delivers outstanding 2-D image quality and converts to 3-D at the touch of a button to provide a more complete picture of anatomy without workflow disruption. There’s no need to change transducers.

With the system, clinicians can capture volume images in less than one second and send 3-D MPRs to any PACS system, making volume data available wherever needed for decision making, review and storage.

The iU22 xMATRIX provides integrated image fusion and instrument navigation capabilities with PercuNav, which acts like a GPS for medical instruments when guiding soft tissue biopsy and ablation procedures. The combined iU22 xMATRIX/PercuNav solution transforms two-dimensional patient images into dynamic, fused imaging maps that combine CT or MR imaging with live ultrasound.

For more information: www.healthcare.philips.com