A Medical Device Daily

ATLANTA– Siemens Medical Solutions (Malvern, Pennsylvania) said it is addressing the field of urology's “most pressing issues: time, cost and quality of care.”

Visitors to the Siemens booth at the American Urological Association (AUA; Linthicum, Maryland) annual meeting, that began here on Friday and continues through Thursday, will be able to see how the company's full line of urology solutions are helping to improve patient care while driving down costs, the company said.

“The high demand for urology procedures coupled with an ever-increasing shortage of personnel is augmenting the need for improved workflow and cost-effectiveness throughout urology practices,” said Tom McCausland, president, Siemens Medical Solutions USA. “Siemens meets this challenge head on with a comprehensive portfolio of urology solutions.”

From early detection and diagnosis, to treatment and follow-up, Siemens offers urology solutions across the continuum of care, spanning the breadth of the industry's most advanced imaging technologies available today. The solutions draw from a range of urology, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), information technology (IT) and lithotripsy systems.

In addition to introducing a new configuration for its Modularis lithotripsy system, Siemens will highlight the following innovations at AUA as part its comprehensive urology solutions offering:

• The Uroskop Access – a floor-mounted, dedicated urodiagnostic table enabling unrestricted, symmetrical patient access. Coupled with superior digital image quality and dose reduction features, urologists can optimize both diagnostic and therapeutic workflows.

• Modularis Litho Vario – a mobile extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) system providing a powerful solution for the treatment of kidney stones. The system's distinctive Shock Wave System “Cplus” technology is designed to provide greater efficacy in stone breakage, increased penetration depth of 140 mm, a variable shock wave frequency (60/90/120), and a longer life of the shock head, the company said.

• Sonoline G20 and Sonoline G40 – ultrasound systems supporting most applications in urology. The Autocolor single step color Doppler optimization technology of the Sonoline G40 helps to streamline workflow and increase diagnostic confidence by allowing a distinct differentiation of flow states in the prostate.

With its 355-degree biplane and rectal probe, the Sonoline G20 incorporates best-in-class workflow advancements and user-matched ergonomics in a small footprint black-and-white system. Increased patient care is being achieved with its prostate brachytherapy template that allows a more accurate placement of prostate seeds.

• MVision Megavoltage Cone Beam (MVCB) Imaging Package – a volumetric in-line target imaging solution for pelvic and other applications. The “natural next step” in Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), it is the first commercial implementation of cone beam technology utilizing a standard radiotherapy treatment beam, Siemens said. MVision makes it possible for the megavoltage (MV) source used for treatment to also create a 3-D image of the patient, enabling safer, more accurate treatment.

Rounding out Siemens' urology solution is a range of CT, molecular imaging, and radiation therapies.

In other AUA news, Endocare (Irvine, California), which is focused on the development of minimally invasive technologies for tissue and tumor ablation, has unveiled the first cryoablation probe that provides physicians the ability to “sculpt” different sized isotherms (ice balls) to encompass tumors and tissues based on individual patient anatomy and needs, the company said.

The new patent-pending probe, called the V-Probe, is designed to allow variability of the isotherm and can create freeze zones from 2.5 cm to 4 cm in length, allowing the physician to adjust for different or odd-sized glands. It works with Endocare's planning software, which measures the size and shape of the prostate, then calculates the number and placement of probes.

With the V-Probe, physicians are expected to be able to plan, tailor and monitor every step of the procedure using a single ablation device for the range of patients and tumors, regardless of variations in anatomy and procedure preferences, Endocare said.

David Ellis, MD, director of cryotherapy surgery, Urology Associates of North Texas, said that the V-Probe is an important advancement in ablation therapy because the adjustability of the ice ball, which is what freezes and destroys the tumor, will help provide a more accurate procedure with fewer complications.

“The new V-Probe gives the cryosurgeon the ability to custom form the ice ball to the anatomy of each individual prostate gland, which lessens the chance of damage to surrounding tissues thus decreasing complications,” Ellis said. “The V-Probe is particularly helpful in ablating tumors in anomalous shaped glands.”