NORFOLK, VA, AND WAUKESHA, WI GE Healthcare, the leading manufacturer of 3D/4D ultrasound systems, has licensed a technique patented by an Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) obstetrician that can automate the acquisition of ultrasound images used by physicians to diagnose fetal heart defects. GE Healthcare has licensed the software for exclusive use in its 3D/4D ultrasound systems.
Alfred Abuhamad, M.D., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at EVMS recognized worldwide for his skills in using ultrasound to detect fetal heart defects developed the automation protocol, called Sonography based Volume Computer Aided Diagnosis (SonoVCAD).
This is going to change the way ultrasound is practiced, said Abuhamad. With some heart defects, infants can die without surgery soon after birth. With an earlier diagnosis months before birth, clinicians and the mother can plan delivery in tertiary care centers with surgeons prepared.
GE has incorporated Abuhamads automation protocol in the Voluson E8, the next generation of the GE Voluson ultrasound platform for womens healthcare. This new 3D/4D ultrasound system includes a number of new tools to help improve clinical workflow, including SonoVCAD.
This paves the way for the future of advanced volume ultrasound and image quality, enabling GE to continue its leadership role in consistently delivering clinically relevant technologies that transform healthcare.
According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects rank as the most common birth defect and the number one cause of death during the first year of life. Nearly twice as many children die from congenital heart disease in the United States each year as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined.1
Diagnosing defects in the fetal heart requires one of the most challenging diagnostic protocols. It requires a view of the dime-sized heart that shows all four chambers, as well as several precisely
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| Contact: Doug Gardner gardneda@evms.edu Eastern Virginia Medical School Source:Eurekalert |