Imaging Now & Next

Diagnostic ultrasound systems are essential in clinical practice, allowing real-time visualisation of organs, tissues and anatomical structures to provide valuable information and help guide patient care. Equally importantly, the technology is painless and non-invasive – and does not expose individuals to radiation – making it particularly patient-friendly. However, the images produced can exhibit inter-patient variability, plus there are limitations on scanning body parts that do not transmit sound waves as well as others. FUJIFILM Healthcare has developed a powerful cognitive technology called DeepInsight™, that significantly improves the quality of ultrasound images to overcome some of the pitfalls. So what can DeepInsight™ do?

Intraoperative ultrasound has become a valuable tool in modern medicine, allowing surgeons to clearly visualise and guide interventional procedures. Add in the latest developments in robotic surgery and fusion imaging, and it offers significant opportunities to physicians when planning and carrying out complex surgery, while also improving patient outcomes. But different surgical approaches, from open to minimally invasive, have different requirements of ultrasound transducers. FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe offers a diverse range of intraoperative probes developed with input from practitioners, and is continually innovating new and better transducers. But what are the key considerations when selecting an ultrasound probe for your procedures?

OASIS Velocity^TM is the only open architecture high-field MRI system with several advantages over traditional imaging technologies, including its patient-friendly design and ability to serve all types of individuals. Its new main features include:

At Fujifilm, we have designed advanced medical technologies specifically with pediatrics in mind. In particular, we have developed solutions that help to facilitate and speed up examinations within the realm of cardiovascular ultrasound, thus making them more comfortable and convenient for younger patients. The ARIETTA™ 750 provides advanced diagnostic performance for pediatrics at a flexible price.

^{_{Renata Krawczyk | International Application Team Leader MR/CT, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe | April 2022}} Fujifilm has consistently pursued its idea of MRI systems that are patient-, user-, radiologist-, and eco-friendly. Regardless of the magnetic field strength and the technology used to achieve it, our systems offer high quality while using a variety of techniques to eliminate patient stress and associated potential problems such as motion artifacts, the need to repeat sequences, or in extreme cases, the inability to perform the examination.

Recent advancements in the field of portable and wireless medical devices have been beneficial in catering to the increasing need for advanced healthcare services. These devices find wide applications in monitoring, medical therapeutics, diagnosis, and wellness.

To undergo an MRI scan can be a stressful experience for paediatric patients. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be that way. Preparing the children for the upcoming scan is an important element to mitigate stress, fear, and anxiety. How? With a little help of the young patients’ new best friend: Little Lucy.

^{_{Renata Krawczyk | International Application Team Leader MR/CT, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe | November 2021}}Fujifilm's open magnetic resonance systems are a response to a changing society – in Europe and in the whole world. There are more and more of us, we are getting older, we are getting fatter, we have more and more physical and mental health problems. How to provide adequate medical care to an increasing number of patients with special requirements? Patients with obesity, for whom the standard closed system is "too small", patients with claustrophobia who run away from the room just after looking at the "tunnel", or elderly patients for whom the comfort of the examination, the possibility of contact with somebody during the procedure is the most important. The increasing availability of MR examination means that children are increasingly referred to this examination. These are groups that, although often overlooked and treated as niche, will constitute a growing percentage of patients in MR systems.

^{_{Renata Krawczyk | International Application Team Leader MR/CT, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe | November 2021}}FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe is a market leader in open magnetic resonance imaging. Since the first system shown in 1983, the company has consistently developed a line of open, patient-friendly, and environmentally friendly systems. More than 9,000 such open MR systems with magnetic field strength from 0.2T to 0.4T have been installed worldwide. The company is constantly developing the product, introducing new technologies and software solutions.

^{_{Luca Mastrogirolamo | European Clinical Applications Manager, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe | October 2021}}Women experience various diseases and conditions during their life owing to their distinct gender-based physiological characteristics or socio-cultural discrimination. Such “reproductive health-based conditions” constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality of women worldwide. According to WHO, in 2017, approximately 810 women died daily from preventable pregnancy-related causes, 94% of which belonged to low- and middle-income countries¹. In 2020, 685,000 women died of breast cancer worldwide². Additionally, in 2017, heart disease was a leading cause of death in women in the United States³.

^{_{Janos Esztergalyos | CT/MR Product Manager, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe | August 2021}}The past few years have seen a significant increase in patient load, mainly due to changing demographics, among other factors. Additionally, since diagnostic imaging is a highly competitive market, there has been a steady decline in the respective reimbursement plans due to immense pressure and increased workload.

^{_{Saki Ochiai | European Clinical Applications Manager Cardiovascular | July 2021}}The quantification and efficiency of performing measurements can be a challenge in daily cardiac ultrasound examinations. Providing the right support for reliable quantification and exam efficiency is needed so each user can perform a high-quality examination. In other words, our goal is to help sonographers and physicians obtain consistent measurement results in a short amount of time.

_{^{Janos Esztergalyos | CT/MR Product Manager | May 2021}} Magnetic resonance imaging is one of the fastest-growing diagnostic techniques that utilize magnetic field gradients to generate images. Currently, a 10.5 T system represents the world’s strongest MRI scanner that has been used on humans. The high-field MRIs use superconductive magnets whose cost-intensiveness, higher maintenance, and physiological side-effects have paved the way for the reconsideration of the low-field MRI systems, which use permanent magnets.