Urology Archives

Analogic Releases New BK Medical Ultrasounds

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 8, 2012 •

analogic new devices Analogic Releases New BK Medical UltrasoundsAnalogic has announced the worldwide launch of three new ultrasound systems from its subsidiary BK Medical, the Pro Focus UltraView 800, the Flex Focus 800, and the Flex Focus 500.

All three models sport the company’s “Quantum Technology” that provides high resolution visualization of the tissues.

Quantum Technology offers image quality enhancements including improved contrast resolution, as well as new gray scale maps and new image pre-sets, making it easier and quicker to obtain the highest quality images. In addition, the new technology includes a unique Vector Flow Imaging (VFI) mode*, enabling angle independent visualization of blood flow, and an advanced color Doppler mode, enabling superb spatial resolution. Key benefits also include advanced harmonic imaging when imaging all patient types, even the extremely difficult-to-image patient.

Compatible with all of BK Medical’s transducers, the fully featured, premium performance systems are ideally suited for surgery, including robotic-assisted surgery, general imaging and high-end urology imaging. The UltraView 800 system also has contrast imaging capabilities**, and both the UltraView 800 and Flex Focus 800 systems have a HistoScanning*** ready option. The Flex Focus 500 is the mid-range system in the BK Medical family incorporating Quantum Technology. This portable system is powerful and well suited for a busy practice utilizing ultrasound for urology and general imaging needs. All of the new systems also have VFI* as an option.

Press release: Analogic Launches Three New BK Medical Ultrasound Systems With Innovative Quantum Technology

Product pages: Pro Focus UltraView 800; flex Focus 800; flex Focus 500

Cardiac Surgery / ENT / Ob/Gyn / Orthopedic Surgery / Plastic Surgery / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology / Vascular Surgery

Bovie J-Plasma Handpiece Greenlighted in U.S.

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 7, 2012
Bovie J-Plasma Handpiece Greenlighted in U.S.

Bovie Medical received FDA clearance for its J-Plasma handpiece with retractable cutting feature for coagulating soft tissue during surgeries. It is available for both open and laparoscopic procedures.

The device is powered by a previously approved Bovie GS electrosurgical generator.

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Medgadget Exclusive / Neurological Surgery / Orthopedic Surgery / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology

Medgadget Q&A About VISIUS Surgical Theatre With Intra-Operative Imaging

by Justin Barad on Feb 7, 2012
Medgadget Q&A About VISIUS Surgical Theatre With Intra-Operative Imaging

Intra-operative imaging has been helping surgeons work on patients with greater confidence and increased precision.

We had a chance to ask Amy Boyle, Executive Vice President, Marketing at IMRIS, about the benefits of intra-operative imaging, and specifically about the company’s VISIUS Surgical Theatre that comes with either CT or MRI scanner that can quickly slide in and out of the OR to image the patient on the table as needed.

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Anesthesiology / Cardiac Surgery / Emergency Medicine / Medicine / Neurological Surgery / Ob/Gyn / Orthopedic Surgery / Plastic Surgery / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology

Cardinal Health Releases Smart-Seal Surgical Mask

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 2, 2012
Cardinal Health Releases Smart-Seal Surgical Mask

Cardinal Health has made available its Smart-Seal surgical mask that improves both its fit and reduces interior fogging while providing a high level of filtration and resistance to liquids.

From the announcement:

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Medicine / Radiology / Urology

Finding, Pushing Kidney Stones Using Ultrasound

by Gene Ostrovsky on Feb 1, 2012
Finding, Pushing Kidney Stones Using Ultrasound

Ultrasound has been a welcome tool for many years to break up kidney stones, but finding the stones still requires radiograph or CT imaging. Researchers from the University of Washington and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) believe they developed a method of detecting renal calculi using a modified diagnostic ultrasound equipment found in every modern hospital. Moreover, once detected, they are able to apply ultrasound in a controlled way so as to be able to push the stones in a desired direction. This may create a new treatment option, allowing physicians to guide stones toward the kidney exit that are refusing to pass naturally.

Detection of the stones is done thanks to the unexplained “twinkling artifact” phenomena that makes stones sparkle under Doppler ultrasound. Because X-rays are not used in detection, patients and clinicians would be less exposed to radiation, and diagnosis could be done faster and right at the point of care.

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Anesthesiology / Cardiac Surgery / Ob/Gyn / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology / Vascular Surgery

HealthStream and Laerdal Unveil New Clinical Simulator Management Tools

by Gene Ostrovsky on Jan 31, 2012
HealthStream and Laerdal Unveil New Clinical Simulator Management Tools

HealthStream and Laerdal Medical launched a couple new products for managing and studying clinical simulations.

SimView allows for recording of simulation video, audio, data logs, and how the virtual patient responds to therapy. SimManager is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application that helps manage simulation routines from scheduling, to progress tracking, to delivering reports while tracking room and equipment availability.

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Cardiac Surgery / Ob/Gyn / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology / Vascular Surgery

EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer Debuts for da Vinci Si Surgical System

by Brian Klein on Jan 13, 2012
EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer Debuts for da Vinci Si Surgical System

Robotic surgery developer Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) has received 510(k) clearance to market its EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer. The bipolar electrosurgical sealing and cutting instrument is designed for use with the firm’s da Vinci Si Surgical and a dedicated version of the ERBE VIO 300D electrosurgical generator, sold and supported by Intuitive Surgical, that will only control the Endowrist One vessel sealer instrument. The wristed, disposable instrument is intended for bipolar coagulation and mechanical transection of vessels up to 7 mm in diameter and tissue bundles that fit in the jaws of the instrument. It is not intended for use for tubal sterilization or tubal coagulation for sterilization procedures.

The EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer enables da Vinci Si surgeons to fully control vessel sealing, according to the manufacturer, while providing high surgical precision, control, stability, and 3-D HD visualization.

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Cardiac Surgery / Ob/Gyn / Surgery / Thoracic Surgery / Urology

Open Source Surgery, a Robot called Raven takes Flight

by Gavin Corley on Jan 13, 2012
Open Source Surgery, a Robot called Raven takes Flight

A multidisciplinary team of engineers from the University of Washington and the University of California, Santa Cruz have developed a surgical robot, called Raven 2, for use as an open source surgical robotics research platform. Seven units of the Raven 2 will be made available to researchers at Harvard , Johns Hopkins, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles, while the remaining two systems will remain at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Washington.

The Raven 2 is a surgical robot with 7 degrees of freedom, compact electronics and two wing-like arms which end in tiny gripper claws designed to perform surgery on simulated patients. The robot’s software is compatible with Robot Operating System, an open source robotics coding platform.

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Oncology / Urology

Kitware Receives Award to Develop an Augmented Reality System to Assist in Prostate Surgery

by Ronney Shantouf on Nov 22, 2011
Kitware Receives Award to Develop an Augmented Reality System to Assist in Prostate Surgery

Kitware, an open-source software development company, has been awarded Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), through a unique joint agency initiative of The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Homeland Security.

The funding will be used to create an augmented reality visualization prototype to improve the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted prostate surgery for those suffering from prostate cancer.  The project is to create a human/machine collaborative system to provide surgeons with an augmented reality (AR) view by fusing pre-operative MRI imaging of the prostate and surrounding tissue with the da Vinci robotic assisted laparoscopic video while compensating for non-rigid prostate tissue deformation using intra-operative transrectal ultrasound.  The AR will potentially allow surgeons to perform prostatectomies with greatly improved accuracy and possibly lead to improved outcomes and fewer complications.

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