SuperSonic Imagine received regulatory approval by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare department for the company’s most recent advancements on the Aixplorer ultrasound system.
Aixplorer can image two types of waves: Ultrasound waves, which ensure image quality, and shear waves, which allow physicians to visualize and analyze the stiffness of tissue in a real-time, reliable, reproducible and non-invasive manner.
Several new ultrasound probes recently received regulatory clearance to be used in a broad range of clinical applications including the evaluation of liver disease, prostate cancer, obstetrics and musculoskeletal assessment. In addition to the new probes, patients will now have access to a new solution for microvascular visualization – Angio PL.U.S.—Planewave UltraSensitive imaging.
Angio PL.U.S. provides microvascular imaging through significantly improved color sensitivity and spatial resolution while maintaining 2D imaging.
It increases the detail of real-time flow information available during ultrasound diagnostic exams. This information is instrumental in helping the diagnosis of cancerous tissues in areas such as the breast, liver, lymph nodes and thyroid as well as musculoskeletal pathologies such as inflammation in tendons.
The stiffness of tissue can be visualized and analyzed in a real-time, non-invasive manner.
Angio PL.U.S. complements two earlier developments on the Aixplorer approved last year in Japan—ShearWave Elastography (SWE) and UltraFast Doppler. The Aixplorer ultrasound system provides real-time SWE to quantify tissue stiffness.
Tissue stiffness is used by physicians to help identify potentially malignant or other diseased tissue. SuperSonic Imagine’s Aixplorer also provides UltraFast Doppler that combines Color Flow Imaging and Pulsed Wave Doppler into one simple exam, providing physicians with exam results simultaneously and helping to increase patient throughput.
“We are pleased to have received approval for the latest innovations on Aixplorer, our ultrasound system that has been widely adopted throughout Japan with the help of our partner Konica Minolta,” said Jacques Souquet, SuperSonic Imagine’s Founder and Chief Innovation Officer. “Japan is the third largest ultrasound market in the world, therefore securing approval for these advanced technologies is critical milestone for our continued success.”
Earlier this month SuperSonic Imagine reported the adoption of the Aixplorer system by two sports medicine organizations for musculoskeletal injuries.
Sport Lisboa Benfica, a soccer team in Portugal, and Pure Sport Medicine in London both recently adopted the system, including the company’s real-time SWE to optimize rehabilitation for injured athletes and to monitor their recovery.
Sport Lisboa Benfica uses the Aixplorer and SWE to quantify tissue loading, e.g. muscle and tendon, before and after injuries and to control the recovery process. The tool offers objective data to determine the best strategies for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and recovery after intense physical efforts.
SuperSonic Imagine, founded in 2005, is based in Aix-en-Provence, France. The company specializes in medical imaging.