February 18, 2011 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared an ultrasound software tool to measure the thickness of the intima-media layers of the carotid artery to evaluate asymptomatic patients' risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Auto-IMT, from Toshiba, is now available on the Aplio XG, Aplio MX and Xario XG ultrasound systems.
For physicians, the ability to streamline exams for determining a patient’s risk for cardiovascular disease is important in determining the patient’s clinical pathway.
The software can determine the thickness of the near and far arterial walls from three segments of the carotid artery: at an optimal angle of incidence and two complementary planes. It traces the two complementary planes automatically and calculates the distance between them. It uses the collected images following the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) consensus statement for the diagnosis.
Toshiba worked with Midwest Ultrasound, a division of The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, to develop the software tool. Midwest Ultrasound will be using Auto IMT on all 25 of its Toshiba Xario XG systems.
“Auto-IMT has helped us reduce the time it takes to evaluate carotid artery wall thickness from 45 minutes to less than 10 minutes, allowing us to evaluate more patients in less time,” said David Parlato, director, clinical operations, Midwest Ultrasound. “In addition, the ability to image and measure the artery in real time eliminates the need for interim centralized PACS storage and off-line workstation review, which enables us to provide IMT-based risk screening much more efficiently for our patients.”
For more information: www.medical.toshiba.com
March 06, 2026 
