Next-Gen Ultrasound Endoscope Enables Complex Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 29 Sep 2022

Image: EG-740UT ultrasound endoscope combined with ARIETTA 850 provides outstanding ultrasound image quality (Photo courtesy of FUJIFILM)

Endoscopic ultrasound is a specialist procedure performed utilizing an endoscope equipped with an ultrasonic transducer which emits and receives ultrasonic waves within the gastrointestinal tract, such as the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, to provide images which can enable physicians to identify anatomical structures and associated pathology. The exact positioning and size of pathology as well as the depth of cancer invasion can be determined utilizing this specialist technique. Endoscopic ultrasound is widely used especially for the detailed examination and diagnosis of pancreatic and biliary lesions. In recent years, endoscopic ultrasound-assisted fine-needle aspiration, in which a needle is guided and inserted into an extraluminal cyst or lesion by way of ultrasound imaging, is used to collect cells and tissue from the area to undergo histopathological diagnoses. Moreover, interventional endoscopic ultrasound is becoming widely adopted for therapeutic applications involving the pancreatic and biliary anatomy.

FUJIFILM Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) has developed a convex ultrasonic endoscope, the EG-740UT, for the upper gastrointestinal tract. The EG-740UT is equipped with a specialist guide wire locking mechanism and a new distal end configuration. Its distinct design enables endoscopic instruments to be visualized within the endoscopic field of view, with the aim of improving the efficiency and user-friendliness of the ultrasound endoscope during the procedure. The EG-740UT ultrasound endoscope offers improved ultrasound transmission and reception sensitivity by adopting a newly developed high-performance transducer, thereby significantly improving the ultrasound image quality.

In addition, the new ultrasound endoscope is equipped with the well-established "G-LOCK" mechanism, which can fixate the guidewire during intra procedural instrument exchange, reducing the complexity and duration of instrument exchanges. Moreover, with the revised configuration of the camera lens, transducer and instrument channel outlet as well as increased diameter of the working channel, and reduced size of the rigid aspects of the endoscope tip, the ultrasound endoscope can deliver high-end, all-round clinical performance from diagnosis to treatment.

Fujifilm's latest generation EG-740UT ultrasound endoscope combined with its ARIETTA 850 provides outstanding ultrasound image quality with advanced therapeutic capability. The ARIETTA 850 FF ENDO is equipped with Fujifilm Healthcare's ultrasonic transmission and reception technology "eFocusing" and image processing technology "Carving Imaging" making it possible to render clear ultrasound images from superficial to the very deepest areas of the abdomen. In addition, the ARIETTA is equipped with various diagnostic applications such as Real-time Tissue Elastography (RTE), which uses color to express variations in tissue elasticity, and Shear Wave Measurement, which can quantitatively evaluate the elasticity of the tissue. The newly compatible EG-740UT and Arietta 850 will go on sale from January 2023.

“The compatibility of Fujifilm's high performance ultrasound endoscopes with Fujifilm Healthcare's flagship ultrasound diagnostic equipment was highly anticipated since the acquisition of Hitachi's Diagnostic Imaging Business back in 2021,” said Takemasa Kojima, Vice President – Endoscopy at FUJIFILM Europe GmbH. “We are incredibly proud that this milestone has come to fruition. We will continue with vigor, to bring together class leading, proprietary technologies, products, and services to deliver endoscopy solutions that will deliver better outcomes for patients.”

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