Ultrasound Needle Visualization Technology Sharpens Needle Visibility

Advanced needle visualization is a major breakthrough in ultrasound imaging. This innovative technology, available as a software upgrade to the M-Turbo and S Series ultrasound product lines, sharpens needle visibility, and tracking under ultrasound at the touch of a button, particularly at steep-angled approaches to deep targets, while maintaining image quality of the target and surrounding anatomy.

The system, developed by Sonosite, Inc. (Bothell, WA, USA), is a unique technology that cannot be found in any other ultrasound product, including large cart-based systems. Although ultrasound is a very good imaging modality for guiding needles into the body for procedures such as nerve blocks, vascular access, aspirations, and soft tissue injections, previously the needle was difficult or even impossible to visualize at steep angles to deep targets, a hurdle that has been described in medical literature as "the lost needle phenomenon." The needle starts to disappear from view under ultrasound as the angle approaches 20° because fewer of the echoes from the shaft and tip are returning to the transducer. Historically, this has been a significant constraint during interventional procedures involving needles.

Advanced needle visualization has conquered the vanishing needle phenomenon through proprietary algorithms that considerably brightens visibility during steep angled approaches to deep targets, offering an innovative and cost-effective solution through an upgrade to existing SonoSite ultrasound systems. Advanced needle visualization offers a bright ultrasound signal even when the angle is 50° to 60°.

Diverse specialties, from anesthesiology to sports medicine, have used SonoSite's portable, powerful ultrasound technology to improve patient care, both in the hospital and the physician's office. Driving the boom is strong evidence that ultrasound guidance powerfully lifts the success and safety of needle-based procedures. For central venous access, the safety data are so overwhelming that many hospitals have adopted ultrasound-guidance as a "best practice," mandating its use for all central line insertions. Ultrasound guidance is also the preferred modality to guide fluid drainage during thoracentesis and paracentesis. Portable ultrasound equipment is widely used at the bedside in hospitals and in a growing number of physicians' offices.

The technology has a variety of applications in acute and critical care, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, soft tissues/musculosketal specialties--such as rheumatology--pain medicine, primary care sports medicine and any other field using ultrasound-guided procedures involving needles, from central line placement to fluid drainage, regional anesthesia, diagnostic nerve block, joint, and other injections.

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