IVUS System Provides Table-Side Controls and Easier Cath Lab Integration
Upcoming Event
Running the Numbers
SonoSite?s MicroMaxx Ultrasound Used at Canada Grand Prix

IVUS System Provides Table-Side Controls and Easier Cath Lab Integration

The iLab ultrasound imaging system was recently launched in the United States by Boston Scientific Corp (Natick, Mass). Designed to enable quick and easy incorporation of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) technology into existing cardiac catheterization labs or radiology suites, the iLab facilitates the diagnosis of heart problems.

In IVUS, an ultrasound-tipped catheter is threaded through the coronary arteries to obtain detailed images of the atheroma within the wall and the lumen of the arteries; the procedure is particularly useful for diagnosing and measuring atherosclerosis. The iLab features a Table-Side controller for access within the sterile field, and it offers a Dynamic Review feature to enhance image interpretation.

With the iLab from Boston Scientific, IVUS technology can be incorporated into existing cardiac cath labs or radiology suites.

Boston Scientific hopes to facilitate the technology’s widespread adoption. “Historically, a barrier to regular IVUS usage has been the need for more user-friendliness,” said Hank Kucheman, president of Boston Scientific’s Interventional Cardiology Business. “By installing the system right into the lab and putting controls in their hands, physicians now have immediate access to this important technology.”

Noninvasive cardiac diagnostics, such as CT angiography and MRI, cannot equal the level of accuracy of measurement achieved by IVUS, and researchers believe that it may one day be useful in gathering more data about the vessel wall, such as the identification of stable and unstable plaque.

“With the introduction of more sophisticated medical devices, such as drug-eluting stents, physicians are treating more complex cases than ever before,” said Paul Tierstein, MD, of Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla, Calif). “That makes the iLab an even more important part of my practice. Now I can obtain the images I need quickly and easily. This lets me routinely quantitate the patient’s disease and make an informed diagnosis.”

Boston Scientific also offers extensive training and education in IVUS with its iLearn Education Series, a series of classroom and hands-on courses designed for physicians, fellows, nurses, and technologists. Visit www.bostonscientific.com for more information.

—C. Vasko

Upcoming Event

Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU of Reston, Va) Annual Meeting

October 20?22 ? San Francisco

An up-to-date and clinically relevant educational program will be the centerpiece of the SRU’s meeting, which combines both a review of the basics and a focus on cutting-edge technology. Leaders in the field will present on obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics, as well as interventional, fetal, abdominal, vascular, and musculoskeletal ultrasound. Other session topics include effective, meaningful communication and reporting as well as 3D ultrasound. Attendees also can compete against one other in a game of ultrasound Jeopardy!. The session offers 17 Category 1 CME credits. For more information, visit www.sru.org.

Running the Numbers

75% of mammography centers use ultrasound for breast imaging, according to the 2005 Mammography Center Market Summary Report from IMV Ltd (Des Plaines, Ill). Ultrasound-guided biopsies are performed at half of the sites surveyed, while 25% of the sites perform stereotactic biopsies, and a mere 2% reported doing MR-guided biopsies.

SonoSite?s MicroMaxx Ultrasound Used at Canada Grand Prix

Jean-Marc Chauny, MD, emergency-department physician at Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal, took the SonoSite MicroMaxx hand-carried ultrasound with him to the 2006 Canada Grand Prix Formula 1 race, June 23?25. Chauny has staffed the trauma team at the Canada Grand Prix medical center for more than 20 years, and he has been using SonoSite ultrasound for the past 4 years. This year, he used the lightweight, notebook-sized MicroMaxx system at the track, primarily to determine whether a patient was suffering from internal bleeding. “Studies have shown that trauma victims, who appear fine and seem ready to be discharged, may have unseen internal injuries that can create serious problems later,” Chauny said. “With MicroMaxx, I can perform an ultrasound exam very fast, in only 2 or 3 minutes, and discover if there are internal injuries and either treat those injuries immediately, or send the driver back out onto the track with confidence.”