Siemens Showcases Advanced 3D Imaging Software and Ultrasound Platforms at ACOG

Sophisticated systems and applications bring new dimension of imaging and workflow to OB/GYN

San Francisco, Calif., May 15, 2010 – Featuring advanced clinical applications that bring OB/GYN imaging to the next level, Siemens Healthcare will showcase its exclusive syngo®.fourSight™ Workplace* image management software at the 58th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in San Francisco. Along with its premium ACUSON S2000™ ultrasound system – Women’s Imaging, ACUSON X300™ ultrasound system, premium edition (PE) – Women’s Imaging, and the new release of its ACUSON X150™ ultrasound system, Siemens will highlight a comprehensive selection of the latest innovations in OB/GYN imaging.

With Siemens‘ new syngo.fourSight Workplace, volume imaging takes on a new dimension by offering a true stereoscopic view of 3D images. Created in collaboration with NVIDIA® Corporation, the new technology creates a 3D imaging experience that is more immersive, detailed, and realistic than ever before. Using NVIDIA 3D Vision™ stereoscopic glasses and NVIDIA Quadro® FX high-end professional graphics solutions, syngo.fourSight Workplace creates the most stunning 3D/4D images of the fetus.

“This technology takes 3D/4D ultrasound imaging to the next level,” said Dr. Norbert Gaus, CEO Ultrasound, Siemens Healthcare. “Our syngo.fourSight Workplace, combined with the NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics solution and 3D Vision technology, offers a truly remarkable experience that’s rewarding for parents and their doctors, while also delivering practical benefits in medicine.”

The clinical images, obtained with the ACUSON S2000 system, are further enhanced using Amnioscopic Rendering, a Siemens-exclusive technology that produces photo-realistic 3D images. While conventional 3D ultrasound technologies use two-dimensional monitors for the evaluation of 3D images, utilizing NVIDIA 3D Vision technology, users can experience 3D images in real 3D.

This quality improvement may provide additional information to the physician and assist in communication between surgeons and patients or aid in treatment or surgical planning.

Compact Ultrasound Solution Debuts at ACOG

Siemens will also be showcasing for the first time the 2.0 release of its ultra-compact ACUSON X150 ultrasound system. A versatile women’s imaging solution at an extraordinary value, this new system offers enhanced image quality and a comprehensive spectrum of clinical features and applications. The CH5-2 Hanafy lens transducer with phase inversion Tissue Harmonic Imaging (THI) improves image quality and resolution at a depth of 28 cm, without having to apply excessive pressure, providing a comfortable exam for even the most difficult-to-image patients. Customizable OB descriptors add or remove anatomy in images enhanced with 3-Scape™ real-time 3D imaging technology. DICOM OB structured reporting offers easy transfer of follicle measurements to off-the-system workstations for calculation, reporting, and archiving to streamline clinical workflow.

Advanced Ultrasound Platforms

The ACUSON S2000 ultrasound system – Women’s Imaging represents the pinnacle of innovative technologies and workflow-enhancing clinical applications, which dramatically improve the efficiency and quality of ultrasound exams. Latest acoustic technologies deliver a powerful system optimized for superb 2D, Doppler and 3D/4D imaging for the most demanding requirements in maternal-fetal medicine. The system features Siemens-exclusive knowledge-based workflow applications, such as eSieScan™ workflow protocols, which enhance examination processes and increase the consistency of exams, while at the same time reducing keystrokes to enable shorter exam times and improve patient throughput.

The ACUSON S2000 system – Women’s Imaging also features Fetal Heart STIC (Spatio-Temporal Image Correlation) imaging, which captures data over multiple heart cycles and creates a 3D fetal heart volume, allowing sonographers to view the fetal heart in multiple planes.

Knowledge-Based Automated Fetal Biometrics

One of the highlights of the ACUSON S2000 system – Women’s Imaging and the ACUSON X300 system PE – Women’s Imaging includes syngo Auto OB measurements, an advanced clinical tool that automates routine biometry measurements of the fetus.

“Up until now, users needed to perform biometry measurements manually,” said Gaus. “syngo Auto OB measurements eliminate this time-consuming manual process, saving up to 75 percent of the keystrokes in routine fetal measurements, freeing users from repetitive tasks, so they can focus on their patients.”

The application also addresses the challenges related to user-dependence and variability, as well as consistency and reproducibility in fetal biometry. Measurements are automatically saved into the patient’s report and include the biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), crown rump length (CRL) and the humerus length (HL).

System for the Clinical Routine

Compact, portable, and easy to use, the ACUSON X300 PE – Women’s Imaging offers a complete OB/GYN imaging solution. It delivers exceptional clinical performance in B-mode, color Doppler, PW Doppler, and 3D/4D imaging. Offering Dynamic TCE™ tissue contrast enhancement technology and TGO™ tissue grayscale optimization technology, the system provides one-button optimization of B-mode images to shorten exam time, reduce repetitive motion, and provide greater consistency between users. fourSight 4D imaging technology enables streamlined, intuitive workflow and advanced acquisition, data rendering, and post-processing functionality for trans-abdominal and endovaginal 3D/4D exams.

*syngo.fourSight Workplace is a work in progress.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.