The radiology community was “wow-ed” at a presentation of the iU22 xMATRIX at KL Hilton, Kuala Lumpur. Ultrasound technology was show cased at its best when Dr Nitin Chaubal from Thane Ultrasound Centre, India (and also President of the Indian Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology), shared his experience using this state of the art revolutionary ultrasound system.

Dr Nitin Chaubal, President, Indian Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology

Lucy Wang, Clinical Application Specialist “performing” a live demonstration of the Philips iU22 xMATRIX

Enabling the “whole” range of ultrasound imaging techniques with the X6-1 PureWave xMATRIX transducer ensured faster and more accurate diagnosis with less risk of repetitive stress injuries and fatigue. Features include simultaneous high resolution, real-time scanning in 2 planes without moving or rotating the transducer; volumetric data acquisition, switching from 2D to 3D, 4D, MRP, Live xPlane, Live Volume at the press of the button and Doppler, using just this ONE transducer. In addition, the Philips iU22 xMATRIX images can be sent to any PACS and images from CT, MR or PET-CT scan be imported enabling interventional procedures even when the visualisation ultrasound was relatively more difficult than on CT or MR or PET-CT.

At the heart of this imaging system is the X6-1 PureWave xMATRIX array transducer which has the power of over 9000 active elements to capture crisp, high-resolution images even in technically challenging patients and diseases. It is able to reveal anatomical detail, with near, mid and far discrimination of microstructures and extraordinary tissue uniformity. Ultrasound thin slice imaging reduces artifacts and generates exceptional quality 2D images. PureWave crystals have virtually perfect uniformity for greater bandwidth and twice the efficiency of conventional ceramic materials, resulting in excellent imaging and Doppler performance.

The new PureWave C10-3v intravaginal transducer is the highest frequency PureWave transducer to date. Using this probe and the Philips iU22, Dr Chaubal showed amazing penetration and details even for a large 10-12 dermoid cyst. The degree and extent of detail might reduce the need to refer for CT or MR examinations as it enabled more confident diagnosis.

A live demonstration was also held at the end of the series of presentations so that the audience can see for themselves, the capabilities of this ultrasound system that could change the role ultrasound plays in diagnosis, management of patients and therapeutic intervention. As ultrasound does not use ionising radiation and is normally the imaging modality of choice in children, this becomes very valuable if more diseases can be diagnosed with greater confidence just on ultrasound alone, and with volume imaging, reconstructions can give other clinicians (especially those operating on the patients) greater confidence when relying only on the ultrasound.

The event was organised by Philips to introduce their latest premium performance ultrasound system.