ATLANTA, Mar 14, 2006 -- Enhancing workflow and improving the assessment of congestive heart failure, Siemens Medical Solutions highlighted its proprietary computer-aided detection (CAD) technology along with clinical application solutions for the ACUSON Sequoia(TM) C512 cardiovascular platform, at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), held earlier this week.

Improving Clinical Assessment and Workflow

The company's Axius Velocity Vector Imaging(TM) (VVI) technology offers clinicians a new way to assess the heart's contraction mechanics using ultrasound information to visualize contraction and relaxation mechanics, with the ability to see a "freeze frame" of motion at any point in the cardiac cycle. Early adopters report this promising new technology provides unique insight into ventricular mechanics and is helpful in evaluating patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, as well as candidates for biventricular pacing. In addition, Siemens' Axius Auto Ejection Fraction(TM) technology, which automatically calculates Ejection Fraction without the need for operator interaction, helps to enhance accuracy and workflow by automatically detecting and calculating the most common cardiac function parameters using proprietary pattern recognition technology.
"The addition of VVI technology is a promising new method to quantify the dyssynchrony or mechanics of the failing heart," said John Gorcsan, M.D., professor of medicine and director of echocardiography, University of Pittsburgh. "In a pilot study of approximately 25 patients, we found we could successfully measure dyssynchrony in heart failure patients referred for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with echocardiography. Additionally, VVI has the advantage that it can be applied to routine gray scale images off-line, so it may be complementary to the tissue Doppler approach."

Dr. Gorcsan also finds the Auto EF technology to require less time than manual EF and shows strong clinical potential.

"The objective of Auto EF technology is to provide a solution for every patient to meet the demands of EF measurements in adult cardiology," said Arnd Kaldowski, vice president, global sales and marketing, Ultrasound Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. "We have taken a radical new approach on the Sequoia system with Auto EF by developing a CAD technology, similar in purpose to the approach used in automated ECG diagnostics. As a result, an expert system database has been formed from over 1,000 studies, which is then used to teach the computer how to 'recognize' left ventricular function in both apical four-chamber and two-chamber views, and estimate where the expert tracer would have outlined the LV on an echo image clip."

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