Initial description of the novel handheld wireless ultrasound device TE Air with Doppler and Color Duplex imaging.

OBJECTIVE

To test and initially describe a new handheld wireless ultrasound technique (TE Air) for clinical use.

METHODS

In this pilot study, the new ultrasound device TE Air from Mindray was used to examine the hepatic and renal vessels of healthy volunteers for first impressions. The probe has a sector transducer with a frequency range of 1.8-4.5 MHz. The B-mode and color-coded doppler sonography (CCDS) scanning methods were used. A high-end device from the same company (Resona 9, Mindray) was used as a reference. The results were evaluated using an image rating scale ranging from 0 to 5, with 0 indicating not assessable and 5 indicating without limitations.

RESULTS

Altogether, 61 participants (n = 34 female [55.7%], n = 27 male [44.3%]), age range 18-83 years, mean age 37.9±16.5 years) could be adequately studied using TE AIR and the high-end device. With one exception, the image quality score for TE Air never fell below 3 and had a mean/median scored of 4.97/5.00 for the B-mode, 4.92/5.00 for the color flow (CF) mode, and 4.89/5.00 for the pulse wave (PW) mode of the hepatic vein, 4.90/5.00 for the portal vein, 4.11/4.00 for the hepatic artery, and 4.57/5.00 for the renal segmental artery. A significant difference in the assessment of flow measurement of the hepatic artery and renal segmental arteries was found between TE AIR and the high-end device.

CONCLUSIONS

TE Air represents a new dimension in point-of-care ultrasound via wireless handheld devices. Especially, its flow measurement ability offers a relevant advantage over other available handheld models. TE Air provides a formally sufficient image quality in terms of diagnostic significance.