Innervision

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, March 14, 2004

BOTHELL — Philips’ new ultrasound system is designed to be two things that may seem contradictory: the most technically advanced system possible but also simpler to use.

The result is a digital machine that can show three-dimensional moving images while being friendlier to often-overworked medical technicians.

The Philips iU22 system, which begins shipping this week, is the new flagship for the company’s ultrasound product line. It’s the first high-end ultrasound system in the world that can generate the full range of moving two-dimensional and three-dimensional ultrasound images.

It represents about five years of design work at the Bothell-based ultrasound division of the Dutch electronics giant, said Randy Hamlin, senior director of product marketing.

"Everything’s been redesigned — the hardware, the software and the machine ergonomics," he said.

For any parent who has squinted at fuzzy ultrasound images of a young fetus in the womb, the three-dimensional pictures generated by the iU22 system are eye-popping.

"Mothers begin crying because they can see their baby’s face," said Hamlin, who’s helped to test the system before its recent market launch.

That and the built-in CD/DVD burner to record a first peek at a baby in the womb obviously can impress parents-to-be during an ultrasound exam, but the machine’s imaging capabilities have more medically important advantages, too.

"The clarity brings value to the patient and doctors, as they can use just this instead of doing other imaging tests," Hamlin said.

He said some sonographers, when testing the machine’s imaging of smaller parts of the body, have found it can show anatomical details not regularly picked up by ultrasound. In addition to being used for obstetrical and small parts scanning, the iU22 is designed for scanning of gynecological imaging, as well as scanning of the breast, prostate and muscular systems.

While the advanced technology provides better images, the improved ergonomics are not a trivial feature. Sonographers are in short supply at many hospitals, so they often have many ultrasound tests to perform in a limited amount of time, Hamlin said.

At the same time, moving an ultrasound machine’s probe, called a transducer, back and forth over a pregnant woman’s belly or a heart patient’s chest can cause repetitive stress in a sonographer’s hands and wrists. Sound Ergonomics of Kenmore cites studies that found more than 80 percent of sonographers have some pain while scanning.

So the iU22 incorporates everything from voice recognition software to easy-to-adjust controls to help sonographers decrease the time an exam takes and also save their joints.

"It’s a big piece of it, from the way the knobs are laid out to the moveable flat panel," Hamlin said. "It’s easier to use and they can do exams faster."

The flat LCD screen, though common now for TVs and computers, is a first for a full-sized ultrasound system.

It’s also one of Dorothy Strassner’s favorite features. As Philips’ clinical product specialist and sonographer, she knows how even a few innovative touches can make a big difference.

"It’s huge for me," she said of the ergonomic features. In a pediatric unit where sonographers routinely scan babies’ hip joints to check for congenital defects, they found the voice-control software especially helpful, she said.

"You can imagine, as they’re trying to hold the baby and also do the scanning," she said.

Beverly Coleman, chief of ultrasound at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said the combination of ergonomic features and resolution impressed her enough that she ordered three of the new ultrasound machines after trying the iU22 out at a medical conference.

"The whole unit weighs about half the pounds of my old ones, and the resolution is amazing," Coleman said. "I think it’s going to be a fantastic machine."

Philips has introduced its new flagship system to North America, Europe and Asia over recent weeks. Since purchasing Bothell’s ATL Ultrasound in 1998, Philips has become the No. 2 seller of ultrasound equipment in this country and worldwide. Germany’s Siemens is No. 1, while General Electric is third, according to surveys by New York-based Klein Biomedical Consultants.

The U.S. ultrasound market exceeded $1 billion last year, and is expected to expand. Hamlin said experts predict the use of ultrasound imaging in medicine could increase by up to 200 percent in the next decade.

Hamlin pointed out the iU22 is considered a "premium" machine, in the price range of $150,000 and up. That’s compared to systems with lower image quality, for use by doctor’s offices and small clinics, that can cost less than $50,000.

Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.