CHICAGO, NOVEMBER 26, 2006 – GE Healthcare is exhibiting today a new ultrasound imaging system with early diagnostic tools for women’s healthcare.  This new technology, called the Voluson E8, 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.  The Voluson E8 is being showcased this week at the 92nd annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.

The Voluson E8 is the next generation of GE’s Voluson ultrasound platform, and includes a number of new tools to help improve clinical workflow, including Sonography based Volume Computer Aided Diagnosis (SonoVCAD), a new automated imaging tool that improves workflow by making it easier to acquire volume images of the fetal heart.  This GE-exclusive technology makes a difficult exam much easier by streamlining the acquisition of volumetric images of the fetal heart.  This proprietary technology displays all of the 2-D planes, which complies with the recommended standard screening exam of the fetal heart, as outlined by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG).  It includes views for identification of the 4-chamber, left outflow tract and right outflow tract of the fetal heart.

“SonoVCAD introduces standardization into ultrasound imaging and helps to reduce the risk of exam misinterpretation.  By simplifying the technical aspects associated with a fetal ultrasound exam, the detection of fetal heart abnormalities should also be enhanced,” said Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, professor and chair of the department of OB/GYN at Eastern Virginia Medical Center in Norfolk, Va.

Other new tools available on the Voluson E8 include:

• A revolutionary new high-resolution 4-D transvaginal probe that helps clinicians see and detect fetal abnormalities earlier than ever before, while also improving diagnostic confidence in complex GYN exams, such as early pathology diagnosis.  This wide field of view and volume-scanning angle gather volumetric information on subtle anatomic structures.  “The 4-D transvaginal probe has the potential to dramatically improve our ability to discover fetal heart defects earlier,” said Dr. Greggory DeVore, director of the Fetal Diagnostic Center in Pasadena, Calif.
• The new matrix array volume probe that improves image clarity for volume imaging, and provides better visualization for 2-D and multiplanar imaging with increased spatial resolution.
• GE’s exclusive TruScan architecture, a feature that simplifies post-processing and archiving by enabling quick access to saved images from a previous study.  This unique TruScan architecture has migrated to Voluson from GE’s other flagship systems for the first time.
• A high priority on SonoErgonomics - the height of the control panel is electrically adjustable and the high-resolution flat-panel display is independent of the main console, moving on an articulating arm that glides into place.
• A robust inter-office information system with ViewPoint, a powerful OB/GYN patient data management solution, brings advanced imaging full circle by extending clinical capabilities, streamlining workflow and increasing diagnostic confidence.

“With the insight of healthcare’s top physicians, GE is developing innovative ultrasound systems that address some of today’s most pressing healthcare issues and are as ubiquitous as the stethoscope to further shift medicine into an ‘Early Health’ model,” said Karl-Heinz Lumpi, general manager of GE Healthcare’s Global Women’s Health and Specialty Ultrasound business.  “The Voluson E8 is yet another example of ultrasound’s potential to unlock the future of advanced imaging by helping detect diseases early when they can be more effectively treated.”