High-quality/High-resolution Digital Ultrasound Diagnostic Scanner

OVERVIEW: Ultrasound diagnostic scanners have gained broad acceptance in a wide range of diagnostic fields because they are able to make observations inside the body safely and in real time. In keeping with the developments in signal processing technology and semiconductor technologies, resolution and other functions were dramatically improved through the use of digital ultrasound scanners developed in the late 1980s. In terms of ultrasound imaging technologies as well, the quality of images was increased and the scope of applications expanded through the use of superior imaging technologies and ultrasound contrast agents. Hitachi Medical Corporation has developed a digital ultrasound device which is equipped with an electrical compound function and the high-speed moving image adaptive filter, with the goal of contributing further to medical treatments by improving image quality. The ultrasound endoscope, which was created using fine processing technologies, is ideally suited to gastrointestinal tract examinations. Hitachi Medical Corporation is also developing new imaging technologies such as tissue elastic imaging, and plans to incorporate these technologies into new equipment in the future. Tsuyoshi Otake Toshihiko Kawano Takashi Sugiyama Tsuyoshi Mitake Shinichiro Umemura, Ph. D.