Toshiba America Medical Systems’ Smart Fusion ultrasound technology delivers safer and more accurate guidance for liver and kidney lesion biopsies, according to a prospective clinical evaluation at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

The study evaluated a 35 patients undergoing ultrasound-guided biopsies using Smart Fusion between February 2013 and May 2014, including 33 liver lesion biopsies, one renal core biopsy and one renal lesion biopsy. In addition to clinical accuracy, shorter procedure times, less radiation exposure and the absence of invasive surgical biopsies contributed to a higher rate of patient satisfaction.

“Our work with St. Elizabeth Healthcare and its success with the Smart Fusion technology exemplify Toshiba’s commitment to providing customers with a worry free experience,” said Tomohiro Hasegawa, director, Ultrasound Business Unit, Toshiba. “As healthcare reform calls for improvements in quality of care and efficient use of resources, technologies like Smart Fusion will help providers to both increase the standard of care and minimize financial impacts for all parties.”

Available on the Aplio 500 ultrasound system, Smart Fusion allows physicians to simultaneously display live ultrasound with previously acquired images.