From the March 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Technology developments that have offered increased value in this area include faster imaging at lower frames per second with faster pulsing, which further reduces radiation. Gantry rotation has also become faster, which allows image acquisition during rotation. The combination of mechanical and image acquisition improvements, plus significant advancement in imaging software, now enables the images to be processed into a virtual three-dimensional image. 3-D reconstruction allows the physician an interactive 3-D view that can be rotated on any X, Y or Z axis to see anatomy in ways previously only imagined.
These technological advancements, along with new innovative therapy and non-surgical interventional techniques, continue to expand the life-altering and life-saving options available to our smallest patients in need of advanced cardiovascular diagnosis and intervention.
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Ultrasound
Ultrasound can be used to image premature infant brains for intracranial bleeds, infant hips for dislocation, fetal echo for all age groups (utero to adolescent) and infant spinal cord for defects that can affect the ability to walk.
Ultrasound technology can view internal images in 2-D, 3-D, 4-D and even 5-D rendering. Two-dimensional scanning captures still axial images, whereas 3-D and 4-D images are real time. Automation uses five-dimensional planes and volume data measurement with high-speed computer software programs to create ultrasound images.
Advanced echocardiology technology involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI) automation — smart scanning. The computer does most of the work on the back end for specialized views, which saves time. AI software automatically takes the image volume data from 3-D and reconstructs the best diagnostic image views per protocol. This technology has changed the way sonographers acquire conventional two-dimensional ultrasound images. Instead of still images, we can now stream live interactive images through volume scanning. Obviously, the more advanced the technology, the more expensive the ultrasound equipment will be.
Ultrasound for pediatric patients is a specialized field that requires additional training and certification through an approved accrediting board for pediatric radiologists, sonologists and sonographers before they are able to perform and interpret imaging studies of neonates, infants and adolescents. Reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is contingent upon licensed and certified sonographers performing all cardiac and vascular imaging.
