UltraiQ is now available as a pay-per-use web app: UltraiQ Online Read more
UltraiQ is a five minute quality assurance software tool for ultrasound transducers. Multiple large scale assessments of transducers have proven that up to 40% [1, 2, 3] of the ultrasound transducers in clinical use are damaged. With the use of UltraiQ, these defects could have been detected and resolved at an early stage. Misdiagnosis due to a damaged transducer has also occurred[2].
With its easy to use interface and compatibility with numerous national and international guidelines for QA, the software tool is a must-have if you want fast, standardised and strictly objective quality assurance. UltraiQ was developed in house by Cablon Medical B.V., and the development of the software program continues constantly as new methods and guidelines become available. Read more or watch the demonstration video below!
Want to know more about UltraiQ? Contact us for a live demonstration or order our free brochure!
Request a demoTo date, three independent studies have documented the reproducibility of UltraiQ Desktop. Every single one of these studies has found that the reproducibility of the measurements is excellent. The Mayo Clinic[4] has found that the inter-user variance for the different measurements lies between 1 and 3%. Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust have found that inter-user variance lies between 0.1% and 3.4% [5]. The Jeroen Bosch Hospital has found that the inter-user variance lies between 0% and 2% [6].
Without the use of software, the reproducibility of the measurement lies between 0.4% and 22.4%[5], so the use of software improves the reproducibility by a factor of 4 to 8!
UltraiQ Desktop works best with the tailormade UltraiQ phantom set, but the software is also compatible with any third party general purpose quality assurance phantom. At present, the following phantoms are supported:
Reports
A record of each measurement you perform is stored in the SQL database that supports UltraiQ Desktop. The results database can run locally within the hospital network and can easily be visualised via any web browser. Alternatively, the results may be exported to Excel or PDF file formats.
Compatibility
UltraiQ Desktop is compatible with:
The following tests can be performed within two minutes, using UltraiQ Desktop:
The supported measurement types can be split into two groups. The loss of elements and signal to noise ratio measurements are status tests. These tests can provide information about the transducer’s performance without the need for an acceptancy test.
The other measurements are what are know as trend analysis measurements. The aim of these measurements is to compare the initial performance during the acceptancy test with today’s performance.
File formats
All common file formats are supported in UltraiQ Desktop. These include DICOM, BMP, JPG and TIFF. Cineloop DICOM files are also supported. In the event that your ultrasound machine does not have a digital output, you may use the optional frame grabber to digitalize the analogue video output of your ultrasound machine.
DICOM node
UltraiQ Desktop comes with DICOM node functionality. This means that you can send DICOM images from an ultrasound machine or PACS system directly to UltraiQ Desktop through network communication. With the UltraiQ Desktop one-click module (included in network and multi-site licences), images can even be analysed automatically in the background after they have been received by the UltraiQ Desktop DICOM node.
Cablon Medical has joined forces with distributors in 14 countries to offer you local support in your own language. Please consult the map or list for the contact information of our distributors.
Go to distributor networkOur distributors have an evaluation licence available, so you can try the software before you purchase. Please get in touch with us to arrange an evaluation.
“UltraiQ Desktop is a qualified software package for users that wish to perform an array of quality assurance measurements in a short period of time. The intuitive user interface allows users to quickly execute measurements, requiring only a limited number of images. Trend analysis graphs are automatically updated after each measurement, allowing the quality of ultrasound systems to be monitored.
The automatic analysis of the images is a trade-off between time saving and a more fundamental analysis. Even though users can further analyze the measurement data, it is not possible to integrate custom automated analysis”.
Lida Dam-Vervloet en Daniël den Boer
ISALA Klinieken Zwolle
Ultrasound Quality Assurance (QA) phantoms are designed to help you assess the image quality of your ultrasound equipment. We offer both simple and cost-effective uniformity phantoms as well as extensive general purpose phantoms for more advanced testing procedures. Using the UltraiQ software, the user variability of ultrasound QA tests is minimized to a very acceptable 1 to 3%.
The uniformity phantom is used for the most simple and quick tests. For example, an uniformity phantom may be used to determine whether your transducers has weak elements. This type of test is often referred to as an Image Uniformity test. Weak or dead piezoelectric elements may cause problems such as decreased axial and lateral resolution, decreased depth of penetration and decreased low contrast performance.
Read moreUltraiQ offers rubber-based phantoms. Using the UltraiQ general purpose phantoms, you can for example determine the contrast and depth of penetration of your transducer. There is an UltraiQ general purpose phantom for any type of 2D transducer.
Read more1: Wildner, Kollmann (2015): Ultrasound within the Austrian mammography screening: evaluation after the first year
2: Martensson (2007): High incidence of defective ultrasound transducers in use in routine clinical practice
3: Hangiandreou (2011): Four-year experience with a clinical ultrasound quality control program
4: Long (2016): AIUM E-poster # 2370045: Evaluation of UltraiQ software for objective ultrasound image quality assessment
5: Gape (2017): Estimation of error in IPEM QA Tests using both manual and automatic image assessment
6: Pelk (2015): https://prezi.com/1wirh75hdr31/kwaliteitscontrole-echografie-het-inzicht-in-verbetering/
