High-Definition Ultrasound System Provides High Performance with a Range of Applications

A new ultrasound system provides grayscale and color Doppler imaging with simple one-button optimization, as well as tissue harmonic imaging. Moreover, the system features a wide array of transducers, an adjustable flat-panel monitor, proven system architecture and software, and advanced imaging, measurement, and quantification technologies.

Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands) presented its latest addition, the HD7, to its high-definition (HD) ultrasound family of systems at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, Austria, in March 2008. The Philips HD7 ultrasound system draws upon a range of features and capabilities available on high-end Philips systems and puts them into an affordable, mobile unit that is well suited for a wide variety of clinical settings.

"Now it no longer requires a major investment for a medical office, clinic, or small hospital to get the same kind of key capabilities, performance features and high-definition imaging found in higher priced ultrasound systems,” said Anne LeGrand, senior vice president, Ultrasound, for Philips Healthcare.

The Philips HD7 system addresses basic scanning needs while adding new technology and design advances that help improve image quality. Developed with clinicians in mind, the ergonomic, easy-to-use system can meet the demands for high-volume use in cardiovascular, ob/gyn, anesthesiology, oncology, electrophysiology, stress echo, pediatric, orthopedic, urologic, emergency, and other applications.

Similar to all Philips ultrasound systems, the HD7 has a broadband digital beamformer to capture and preserve more tissue information than conventional narrowband systems, and its wide dynamic range and digital focal tuning provide exceptional sensitivity and detail resolution. Features such as iSCAN one-button image optimization, multiple transducer ports, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) connectivity, and easy data recording to CD or universal serial bus (USB), position the HD7 well against other modestly priced ultrasound systems. Moreover, optional off-line QLAB quantification software capability allows clinicians to perform post-examination image review and analysis on a personal computer (PC). Further enhancing the system's usability is a Study Guide on disk that quickly equips clinicians to use the advanced features of the HD7.

"Customers on a modest budget have told us they appreciate high-end image quality, but it is reliability that is key for them as they do not have the technical support network of larger institutions,” said Ms. LeGrand. "That is why we have taken our proven system architecture and software and migrated it to a system designed around their needs and price point.”

The HD family of performance systems now includes the small, utilitarian HD3, the new HD7 and the feature-rich HD11. The HD7 is not currently available for sale in the United States.


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