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CLINICAL USE OF THE NEWLY DEVELOPED ELECTRONIC RADIAL ULTRASOUND ENDOSCOPE
Author(s) -
Ogawa Masami,
Yasuda Kenjiro,
Cho Eisai,
Tanaka Kiyohito,
Uno Koji,
Nakajima Masatsugu
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
digestive endoscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.5
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1443-1661
pISSN - 0915-5635
DOI - 10.1111/j.1443-1661.2006.00574.x
Subject(s) - endoscope , medicine , ultrasound , image quality , blood flow , biomedical engineering , radiology , ultrasonic sensor , transducer , acoustics , artificial intelligence , computer science , image (mathematics) , physics
Background: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is widely accepted as a diagnostic tool for bilio‐pancreatic and gastrointestinal tract diseases. Recently, an ultrasound endoscope with an electronic radial scan transducer has been developed. To evaluate the clinical usefulness of this system, its image quality, advantages and disadvantages were evaluated. Materials and methods: Ultrasound endoscope with electronic radial scan transducer and its monitor unit were used. The direction of the imaging plane was similar to that of the mechanical radial models. Color Doppler function and tissue harmonic imaging were feasible by this system. To evaluate this endoscope, we investigated the image quality and distance resolution by in‐vitro study using thin papers, and 50 patients were examined by this system. Results: Comparison with the mechanical radial endoscope GF‐UM2000 revealed that the image quality was almost equivalent. However, the ultrasound penetration of the electronic radial scanner was better and more satisfactory with less echoic reduction. In addition, the blood‐flow signal could be obtained by using the color Doppler function. In contrast, the diameter of the new endoscope was bigger than the advanced mechanical radial models, the monitor unit was bigger than that of the mechanical radial system, and the operation of this unit was complicated. Conclusion: A prototype of the ultrasound endoscope with electronic radial scan showed satisfactory results regarding the image quality, ultrasound penetration, and clinical diagnosis. The blood flow could be investigated by using the color Doppler function, which is useful to diagnose lesions and detect involvement of the blood vessels in cancers.