Technology gives rise to diagnostic breakthroughs (Part – III)
Several technologies are being combined in novel ways to address previously intractable problems
By: GREG FREIHERR
Harmonic imaging may be less useful in some circumstances than others. Research conducted at Hutzel Hospital/Wayne State University in Detroit found that harmonic imaging improved resolution in at least one fetal structure in only 51.4% of patients studied. Differences were most evident for four-chamber views of the heart , but in those cases improved visualization was seen in only 30.5% of patients. Patient weight and gestational age were found to be major factors, as the researchers concluded that obese patients during the second trimester benefited the most.
"Women with a normal body mass index did not have improvement in visualization rates with harmonic tissue imaging, and in fact there seemed to be some image deterioration in normal-weight patients when we used harmonic tissue imaging instead of traditional fundamental imaging," said Dr. Marjorie C. Treadwell, director of obstetric ultrasound at Hutzel.
The improved resolution that came with deeper penetration worked, but only in patients who needed the deeper look.
Capturing a volume of data enables the diagnostician to see all relevant data at once and in context. Pathologies are frozen in time and place, and reproducibility is absolute, since the same data set could be reconfigured into volumes or slices from any perspective or angle. Faster heart scans and less operator error boosts productivity and patient throughput; lower cost and increased revenue will follow. And patient recalls would become a thing of the past.
Real-time imaging, while preferred, may not be necessary. Delays in image processing, which may be no more than a few seconds, allow computing engines built into scanners to do some powerful processing. The Voluson 530 D Digital Volume Sonography system from Medison acquires a volume of data that can be sliced in planes, which is otherwise difficult if not impossible to achieve. The system, which requires a six-second scan to obtain the data for a 3-D image, has been used in ob/gyn, abdominal, pelvic, vascular, and endocavitary applications. Harmonic imaging is offered as an option.
By: GREG FREIHERR
Harmonic imaging may be less useful in some circumstances than others. Research conducted at Hutzel Hospital/Wayne State University in Detroit found that harmonic imaging improved resolution in at least one fetal structure in only 51.4% of patients studied. Differences were most evident for four-chamber views of the heart , but in those cases improved visualization was seen in only 30.5% of patients. Patient weight and gestational age were found to be major factors, as the researchers concluded that obese patients during the second trimester benefited the most.
"Women with a normal body mass index did not have improvement in visualization rates with harmonic tissue imaging, and in fact there seemed to be some image deterioration in normal-weight patients when we used harmonic tissue imaging instead of traditional fundamental imaging," said Dr. Marjorie C. Treadwell, director of obstetric ultrasound at Hutzel.
The improved resolution that came with deeper penetration worked, but only in patients who needed the deeper look.
Capturing a volume of data enables the diagnostician to see all relevant data at once and in context. Pathologies are frozen in time and place, and reproducibility is absolute, since the same data set could be reconfigured into volumes or slices from any perspective or angle. Faster heart scans and less operator error boosts productivity and patient throughput; lower cost and increased revenue will follow. And patient recalls would become a thing of the past.
Real-time imaging, while preferred, may not be necessary. Delays in image processing, which may be no more than a few seconds, allow computing engines built into scanners to do some powerful processing. The Voluson 530 D Digital Volume Sonography system from Medison acquires a volume of data that can be sliced in planes, which is otherwise difficult if not impossible to achieve. The system, which requires a six-second scan to obtain the data for a 3-D image, has been used in ob/gyn, abdominal, pelvic, vascular, and endocavitary applications. Harmonic imaging is offered as an option.
posted by Heart Scan @ 2:58 AM
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