Ultrasound Software Measures Carotid Artery Thickness
Auto-IMT, from Toshiba, can measure the thickness of the intima-media layers of the carotid artery, for evaluating an asymptomatic patient’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It is available on the Aplio XG, Aplio MX and Xario XG ultrasound systems.
For physicians, the ability to streamline exams for determining a patient’s risk for cardiovascular disease is important in determining the patient’s clinical pathway.
The software can determine the thickness of the near and far arterial walls from three segments of the carotid artery: at an optimal angle of incidence and two complementary planes. It traces the two complementary planes automatically and calculates the distance between them. It uses the collected images following the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) consensus statement for the diagnosis.
Toshiba worked with Midwest Ultrasound, a division of The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, to develop the software tool.
The product was released in February 2011.
For more information: www.medical.toshiba.com