Samsung Collaboration

Professor Parker and Doctors Deborah Rubens and Ashwani Sharma (UR Imaging Sciences) are working with Samsung Medison to add elastography to image-guided liver biopsy.

In the case of image-guided liver biopsy procedures, ultrasound imaging helps to ensure proper placement of the biopsy needle and its trajectory.  However traditionally, the image is not analyzed for additional quantitative measures.  This goal of this collaboration is to add elastography capability to the Samsung RS85 ultrasound scanning system so that additional information can be obtained at the time of the image-guided biopsy regarding the state of the liver mechanical stiffness and any focal or diffuse abnormalities.  Further, elastography may help to quantify fat in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.  Since elastography is integrated into the new ultrasound scanners as a push-button option, the information is obtained with minimal additional time, measured in seconds.  Samsung is supporting this exciting preliminary research and a 30-patient research study.