Following the recent clearance of the technology by FDA, Siemens Healthcare’s Virtual Touch imaging ultrasound application will now be available on the Siemens’ ACUSON S2000 and S3000 ultrasound systems. Virtual Touch uses what is called acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technology to visualize tissue stiffness, enabling physicians to visualize pathology more clearly and deeper into the body. ARFI imaging involves transmitting an initial ultrasonic pulse to get a baseline signal for later comparison. Using the same transducer, the user then transmits a short-duration, high intensity “push pulse” that compresses the tissue, followed by a detection pulse that is used to track how much the tissue was compressed. The results are displayed on an elastogram of relative tissue stiffness within the area of interest. For more details, read the news story on 24X7’s Ultrasound Community, or visit the Siemens website.
