Ultrasound Workstation System Provides Improved Workflow and Patient Care

A new off-the-system ultrasound workstation provides advanced applications for improved clinical workflow and patient care. The release offers comprehensive capabilities for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and vascular screening for semiautomated carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurements.

The syngo US Workplace 3.5, developed by Siemens Healthcare (Erlangen, Germany), is an intuitive image management platform that supports instant and open access to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-compliant images produced by select Siemens and other vendor ultrasound systems. This platform provides streamlined workflow and improved productivity for the clinical routine throughout the ultrasound lab or imaging department. While ultrasound images are acquired at the patient's bedside, physicians can analyze images and complete reports anytime, anywhere through a standard personal computer (PC) network connection.

The workstation features the syngo Arterial Health Package (AHP), a tool that provides cardiovascular ultrasound specialists with the capability to measure carotid intima-media thickness. "CIMT allows the assessment of a patient's cardiovascular system,” said Scott Ashworth, vice president, worldwide sales and service, Ultrasound, Siemens Healthcare. "Pathological studies have shown that the atherosclerotic burden in the carotid and coronary arteries are quite similar.” The CIMT value is compared to normative values from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) database, which have been validated and published in peer-reviewed studies.

The syngo AHP builds on knowledge-based workflow to significantly enhance consistency and effectiveness of results and provide a calculation of a patient's vascular age with individualized results. The semi-automated measurements reduce tedious, manual measurements, allowing the exam to be performed in just 15 to 20 minutes. Moreover, physicians are provided with an intuitive, easy-to-understand tool for better communicating a patient's state of their cardiovascular health.

The syngo US workplace also features other applications, including syngo Velocity Vector Imaging (VVI), which allows clinicians to examine mechanical myocardial functions to determine possible dyssynchrony and fetal heart dysfunction. The syngo fourSight View Tool allows the visualization of three-dimensional (3D) volumes, including amnioscopic rendering for photorealistic images of the unborn baby.

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