by
Olga Deshchenko, DOTmed News Reporter | June 10, 2010
"We had 17 sites, seven of them were in the U.S. and they all followed the same protocol. The results demonstrate that with our elastography method, we can significantly improve the specificity of the diagnostics, meaning that we are much better at saying which lesions are malignant and which are benign," says Souquet.
The SuperSonic Imagine Aixplorer ultrasound system received FDA clearance in 2009. The unit's quantitative assessment capability is still pending approval in the U.S.
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Currently, the technique is used for the detection of early breast cancer, liver fibrosis and lesions of the thyroid. In the future, the company plans to use the technology in cardiovascular, prostate and musculoskeletal applications.
Many OEMs are enhancing their units by adding on an elastography feature and working on ways to improve the technique.
Ripples in Women's Health
Although ultrasound moved beyond prenatal care a long time ago, it continues to impact women's health. In some cases, the modality crossed over into therapeutic procedures.
3-D Ultrasound of a
fetal face at 35 weeks.
"I think this whole concept of having ultrasound being integrated into therapy is a very strong trend across most of the applications in medicine right now," says Appareti of Philips Healthcare. "It's pulling ultrasound from a noninvasive diagnostic tool to now a tool that not only helps select the patient to go to therapy but actually helps in the therapeutic procedure."
Resonant Medical Inc., a Canadian company, develops and manufactures 3D ultrasound image-guided adaptive radiotherapy products. Its Clarity Breast System operates in over a 100 facilities throughout North American and Europe.
"The Clarity Breast System marks the first application of 3D ultrasound technology to improve treatment planning and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy in breast cancer," says Tony Falco, the company's CEO.
The machine enables therapists to image the exact location of the tumor cavity on a regular basis, which may shift due to healing, scarring or physical movement. It targets the area of therapy delivery, without any additional radiation from the system.
