New GE Medical Systems 4D Ultrasound System Helps Physicians See Fetal Heart Defects For First Time
Fifty percent improvement in image acquisition speed
CHICAGO — GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), today introduced a new 4D Ultrasound technology platform, which will allow physicians to visualize the complete fetal heart cycle without external triggering devices.
“This new imaging technique will help revolutionize assessment of fetal heart defects,” said Dr. Greg DeVore, M.D., an expert in fetal cardiac ultrasound, and Director of the Fetal Diagnostic Center, Pasadena, Calif. “It will allow the clinician to review heart anatomy in three simultaneous planes with real-time motion. In addition, these moving digital files can be shared easily with medical experts around the world for consultation on any suspected abnormalities.”
First introduced at the end of 2001, 4D ultrasound simultaneously displays clinical images of the human body in three planes, with the added dimension of real-time motion. Traditional ultrasound images are two-dimensional, forcing a doctor to create three-dimensional images in his/her mind. Ultrasound is a safe and generally non-invasive way for physicians to see inside the human body.
The second generation of RealTime 4D Ultrasound increases the maximum data acquisition speed from 16 volumes per second to 25 volumes per second, more than a 50% improvement.
“The ability to visualize anatomy in four dimensions is the future of ultrasound,” said Omar Ishrak, vice president and general manager of GE Medical Systems’ Global Ultrasound business. “By working with our luminary physicians, GE Medical will be able to develop a suite of advanced applications to further develop the capabilities of 4D ultrasound in obstetrics, gynecology and body imaging.”
For example, physicians can use RealTime 4D Ultrasound at 25 volumes per second in conjunction with GE’s exclusive Spatial Temporal Image Correlation technology to help assess congenital heart disease. The system performs a slow motion volume scan of the fetal heart and the data is assembled through the correlation of time and spatial domains. The result is a 4D real-time dataset that shows one complete fetal heart cycle.
The increased acquisition speed of RealTime 4D Ultrasound also has the potential to yield more data for pathology investigations. In obstetrics and gynecology, RealTime 4D Ultrasound assists physicians studying the baby’s motion, the baby’s surface anatomy, and problems related to a woman’s uterus and ovaries.
The technology also has the potential to help patients at risk for breast and prostate cancer and other conditions. The system’s 3D multi-planar view also can help physicians performing biopsies. With these capabilities, physicians can see suspect lesions in three planes, simultaneously enabling precise needle placement.
The new, faster RealTime 4D Ultrasound technology is available on the GE Voluson 730 Expert scanner, a companion system to GE’s original 4D Ultrasound system, the Voluson 730 Pro. There are currently more than 1,700 GE 4D ultrasound systems around the world.
Patients and physicians can learn more about RealTime 4D Ultrasound by visiting www.gemedicalsystems.com/4D.
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is a $9 billion global leader in medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, electron beam tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information, visit the GE Medical Systems Web site at www.gemedical.com
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