Hello everyone, do you all understand ultrasound?

GE acquired the American ultrasound company Diasonics in 1998, and combined its products to develop the LOGIQ series of ultrasound. In 1998, it also acquired Vingmed, leading to the creation of the VIVID series of ultrasound products for cardiology. In 2001, it acquired the Austrian ultrasound giant Kretz from MEDISON, and leveraged the company's strengths in 4D to establish the VOLUSON series of ultrasound for gynecology and obstetrics.

Philips initially sold off a subsidiary, generating sufficient funds to invest in the medical industry. With the acquisition of ATL and HP, two major ultrasound companies in the US, Philips gained a strong presence in both radiology and cardiology ultrasound product lines. Philips radiology ultrasound includes HD3, EnVisor (2002), HD7, HD11, and HD15. High-end ultrasound systems iU22 (whole body) and iE33 (cardiac) dominated the ultrasound market for a decade without rivals. Their overseas distributors' prices were around US$200,000. Its HD3 (2005) has largely disappeared from the market.

Philips and Dongsoft established a joint venture company in 2005 with a 51% and 49% shareholding respectively. Philips controlled R&D, while Dongsoft was responsible for production. The 5-year contract has expired, and currently, both parties maintain a minimal presence. EnVisor has both US-made and Chinese-made products. The Chinese version is produced by Dongsoft Philips. Its competitiveness is not strong, and it is currently uncommon; internationally, the HD-7 is more common. Dongsoft is currently producing its own FLYING ultrasound system.

Siemens

In 2001, Siemens also acquired the American ultrasound giant ACUSON through mergers and acquisitions. This led to the establishment of the new ACUSON series of ultrasound products: Cypress, X150, X300 (2007), CV70, X500, Sequoia, S2000, SC2000, P50, P10, and Antares.

Siemens' own SONOLINE series of ultrasound, including G20 (monochrome), G40, G50, and G60, have largely disappeared. Mei Zhong Hu Li is its domestic distributor for mid-to-high-end ultrasound systems. Lan Yun is the domestic distributor for Siemens' low-end X150 (2007) ultrasound system. Acuson S2000 ABVS is a system for full-volume breast imaging in women. It is an Acuson S2000 ultrasound system connected to a large-array transducer.

Toshiba has shown significant improvement in recent years in terms of R&D speed and sales strategies. It is estimated that its ultrasound sales have caught up with Siemens. Toshiba recently launched a 3T MRI. In 2009, it released a 320-slice CT product. Compared to Dongsoft's 4-slice, 8-slice, and 16-slice CT products, this is a significant leap. Toshiba is the only one among the major ultrasound companies that holds a significant market share in monochrome ultrasound. Its monochrome ultrasound series includes Famio Cube, Famio 5, and Famio 8. They have made significant investments in color ultrasound. Color ultrasound models include Neimo MX, Viamo, Xario (2005), Aplio 500, Aplio 400, Aplio 300, Aplio MX, Aplio XG, and Artida (cardiac ultrasound). 

Esaote is also actively pursuing overseas mergers and acquisitions, having acquired the French ultrasound company Kontron. It has established or invested in many subsidiaries overseas.

Medison has always been known for its low product prices and superior 4D imaging. They acquired the Austrian company Kretz, which excelled in 4D technology, in 1996, and sold Kretz to GE in 2001. They worked with GE to create the concept of 4D ultrasound, which gradually shaped the market.

In the initial stages, Korean products were low in price and poor in quality. Ultrasound transducers would break down within months, forcing them to withdraw from many markets. Later, the quality improved continuously, and they were gradually accepted by international customers. In the last 1-2 years, in order to increase sales, they sold to Samsung at a high price, and then engaged in dumping at low prices. In the Korean market, major manufacturers like GE produce locally, resulting in fierce price competition. It is difficult for Chinese companies to enter, and they mostly sell monochrome ultrasound systems in the veterinary market. If you want to export to Korea, the Korean people will solemnly say that your products cannot enter because they are made in China.

In 1999, a group of people from ATL Ultrasound in the US established Sonosite, after which ATL was acquired by Philips. Sonosite focused on portable and bedside ultrasound. A few years later, they became a leader in portable ultrasound alongside GE. Displays ranged from 5 to 7 inches, with a robust, shock-resistant and wear-resistant casing. Products offered a 5-year warranty. Price was slightly higher. Early products included the Sonosite 180, Turbo, Micromaxx, Titan, followed by the newer iLook, S-Nerve, S-Fast, and edge. Main application areas were emergency, intensive care, anesthesia, and vascular.

Sonosite has also developed the NanoMaxx handheld color Doppler (with a left-hand handle for handheld use), which can use phased array transducers.

to completely revamp their grayscale ultrasound machines. Essentially, the casing remained the same, while the internal components continuously reduced costs. The DP series of grayscale ultrasound machines includes the DP-50, DP-30, DP-10, DP-7 (desktop), and DP-5 (desktop). Older grayscale ultrasound models include the 9900 (desktop), 8800 (desktop), 7700 (desktop), 6600, 6900, 3300, 4900, 2200, and 1100. Their much-debated multi-agent system led to the development of numerous models. Existing agents, seeing so many new products, don't know whether to laugh or cry. Gaining them is fortunate; not gaining them is fate; that's all there is to it.

When mentioning Sonoscape, one must mention Mr. Yao Jinzhong, the leader of China's ultrasound industry. Mr. Yao served as the director of the Shantou Ultrasound Institute for over 20 years, generating huge profits for the company. Later, he left with nothing but his clothes, taking several followers to Shenzhen to establish Sonoscape. Shortly after, they produced China's first color Doppler ultrasound. Shantou Ultrasound sued him over intellectual property rights. They focused on absorbing foreign color Doppler ultrasound technology; therefore, Mindray also claims that they produced China's first color Doppler ultrasound with independent intellectual property rights. Before 2007, Sonoscape's color Doppler ultrasound sales were the highest in the country, but after the emergence of Mindray's DC-6, Sonoscape's sales were less than one-fourth of Mindray's. Now these products have passed their life cycle, and Sonoscape's R&D speed is still somewhat conservative. Original color Doppler ultrasound models were the SSI-1000 (upright portable), SSI-3000, SSI-5000, SSI-6000, and SSI-8000. Newly launched models include the S6 (portable color Doppler ultrasound), S8 (portable color Doppler ultrasound), S11, and S20 (2011). Other companies first produced grayscale ultrasound and then color Doppler ultrasound. Sonoscape is different; they first produced color Doppler ultrasound and then grayscale ultrasound, gradually gaining market share and even surpassing Chison. Grayscale ultrasound models include the A6 (2009), A8 (portable), and SSI-2000.

Chison was established in Wuxi in 1996 by Mr. Mo. It is currently managed by Xiao Mo. They focus on the R&D and production of ultrasound. They offered a variety of grayscale ultrasound machines early on. Later, learning from Sonoscape, they launched color Doppler ultrasound products early. Before Mindray, they possessed 3D technology. However, their color Doppler ultrasound products were not well-received by customers. Customs data shows an average annual export of about 100 color Doppler ultrasound machines. Main models include the iVis50, iVis60, and ProVision 80. Therefore, their international market has always been dominated by grayscale ultrasound: 600M, 8300, 8500, 8800, and 9300 (2011). The company's management is quite rigorous, and personnel turnover is very frequent. Due to the rise of many domestic grayscale ultrasound manufacturers, their grayscale ultrasound market has declined. Currently, they are investing in color Doppler ultrasound. New models include the i3 (2011), i7 (2011), Q5, Q6, and Q8 (upright portable). Using iPad-like technology, they developed the SONOTOUCH touchscreen grayscale ultrasound. Similar products exist from companies like Haiying and Tianhuihua. However, their market performance is more outstanding.

Established in Shenzhen in 1996. They performed OEM for many manufacturers. Later, they independently developed fully digital, miniaturized portable grayscale ultrasound machines, capturing the low-end market. Their positioning is clear: a market completer. Products are small, light, have low shipping costs, and are easy to carry. The price is not low either. Later, other companies, seeing the popularity of this product, also started producing portable handheld grayscale ultrasound machines. It is estimated that the price of such products will be even lower next year. WELLD product names are very difficult to remember: WED 2018 (small notebook grayscale ultrasound), WED 3000 (handheld grayscale ultrasound), WED 9618, FDC6000 (upright portable color Doppler ultrasound), FDC8000. Portable grayscale ultrasound models include WED-160, WED-180, and WED-3100. Wed-890 cart (hysteroscopic surgery instrument), Wed-390 (portable).。   

1. Large screens, simple and stylish operation panels, and small main unit size. For example, GE's series of ultrasound machines have a chassis similar to a computer's main unit.

2. Thin and small grayscale ultrasound machines, LCD screens, and an increase in portable products. 

3. Touchscreen.

With the popularity of iPad use, touchscreen functionality is becoming increasingly widespread. High-end color Doppler ultrasound machines generally have a 10-inch touchscreen above the keyboard. This is indeed convenient for doctors to operate. Low-end grayscale ultrasound machines also use touch controls for adjusting gain, depth, and TGC.

4. Hardware concentration in the transducer, with transducer ports changed to USB type. Examples include GE's Vscan (mobile size) and Tianhuihua's handheld ultrasound.

5. Wireless transmission WIFI functionality for ultrasound images.

MyLabTwice from Esaote. WIFI tablet from GE or other company DRs.  `nbsp_tag

6.  Applications of ultrasound in other fields. For example, breast. Image fusion.  Siemens Acuson S2000 ABVS women's breast whole-volume imaging system.  

This information comes from the internet. Please contact us for deletion if there is any infringement.