World's First UHF Clinical Ultrasound Installed in Naples

A world leading developer and manufacturer of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) ultrasound imaging systems has announced the installation of the first UHF clinical ultrasound system in Naples, Italy.

UHF systems have been used successfully for pre-clinical research for around 10 years, and are now for the first time being marketed for the clinical market. The system has the European Conformité Européenne CE Mark of approval.

FujiFilm VisualSonics (Toronto, Canada), a subsidiary of FujiFilm SonoSite (Bothell, WA, USA) developed the Vevo MD UHF ultrasound system. The system was designed for neonatology, musculoskeletal, vascular, and dermatology imaging, and operates at frequencies up to 70 MHz, much higher than conventional ultrasound systems. The Vevo MD has a maximum image resolution of 30 microns and can be used with FujiFilm VisualSonics UHF transducers.

Dr. Roberto Grassi, professor of radiology, Second University of Naples (Naples, Italy), said, “Preclinical research is a crucial step toward establishing clinical applications, but until the launch of the Vevo MD, there were no clinically-approved ultra high frequency systems for human studies. The Vevo MD is the world’s first CE-marked, ultra high frequency ultrasound imaging system—up to 70 MHz—for clinical use, and will transform our clinical studies, enabling visualization of superficial structures in the human body. The beauty of the Vevo MD is that it is non-invasive for our patients and allows us to examine the superficial strata, visualizing structures that we could not see using conventional ultrasound. It has enabled us to determine the finer upper limb damage that occur in arthritis, allowing us to investigate the effectiveness of human drug treatments for these conditions. We are now starting to perform vascular assessment of diabetic patients, and also plan to study dermatological and systemic diseases.”

Related Links:
FujiFilm VisualSonics
FujiFilm SonoSite
Second University of Naples