Hitachi Medical Systems introduced its HI Vision Ascendus ultrasound platform at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna earlier this month.
The result of a collaboration within the Hitachi network of research laboratories, the premium scanner features Hitachi real-time tissue elastography for imaging tissue stiffness and dynamic contrast harmonic imaging technology for postcontrast visualization of tissue microvasculature, according to the vendor.
It can also display 4D real-time tissue elastography images. With this technology, volume data is captured in real-time, and tissue stiffness information is transformed into images via high-speed signal processing, Hitachi said.
In features directed at interventional specialists, Ascendus includes Hitachi real-time virtual sonography for real-time display of CT or MRI images alongside ultrasound slices, the company said. Hitachi has also incorporated its real-time biplane imaging technique, as well as support for dedicated biopsy, intraoperative, and laparoscopic transducers.
The scanner's image processing unit is driven by the company's second-generation ultrasound broadband engine, which offers processing speed gains and facilitates the development of image processing and new application functionality, Hitachi said.
Ascendus employs an LCD monitor with a touchscreen panel, which allows operators to control the system without looking away from the ultrasound images, the company said.
