Sonographer Review of Ultrasound Equipment
When purchasing sonography equipment it is an investment in a tool that helps make life-changing medical decisions, so the quality of the machine is of utmost importance. Ensure the equipment provides quality resolution, advanced penetration, enhanced Dopplers (both color and pulsed-wave), and user-friendliness. With so many options on the market, it is tough to decide which machine is the correct fit.
BB Imaging & Consulting recently had Clinical Director and Regional Supervisor of Central Texas Mandi Bowen, Sonographer Carmen Schmidt, and Director of Operations, Patricia Romero, review four ultrasound machines, the Alpinion i7, Mindray M8, GE Voluson i, and GE Voluson E6, for our clinical sites. Three of those were portable machines, with the GE E6 being the lone stand-alone machine we reviewed. Our sonographers looked at the machines' quality of penetration, image resolution, Doppler imaging, layout, additional tools. They assessed how each would impact workflow and determined prices to compare their overall value.
Alpinion i7 – $$
The Alpinion E-CUBE i7 is the latest in a series of portable ultrasound machines from Alpinion Medical Systems. It was released in October 2015 and won an iF Design Award in 2016 for its user-focused design concept. Alpinion is a newer sonography brand on the market, and our sonographers were impressed with the quality of penetration and image resolution. They also liked how effective the color Doppler was, providing a more precise blood flow detection while limiting the bleed out they often see with other machines.
Both Bowen and Schmidt were impressed with how easy it was to take a photo or video clip on the i7. It required few steps to get a clear picture, and Schmidt acknowledged that sometimes smaller, more portable machines don't penetrate as well, but the i7 impressed her. The i7 appeared to follow industry-leader GE's layout, which helped lower the learning curve needed on the new machine.
Mindray M8 – $$$
The Mindray M8 was released in 2017 and is based on Mindray’s new generation ultrasound platform, mQuadro. While it also provided good penetration and improved image quality, it took longer to get to specific packages, which adds to extra time spent on each patient. The image quality was noticeably lower on scans when the baby was in the first trimester. As the baby grew into the second and third trimesters, the quality of the images improved.
Our team felt the Mindray system flowed smoother, updating quicker to keep borders clearer with the color Doppler. It also had good post-processing and was compatible with different PAC systems.
GE Voluson i - $
GE Healthcare sonographer machines have been the industry standard for years, and the GE Voluson i had been a favorite of our staff. However, GE stopped making portable ultrasound machines, including the Voluson i, so the only portable GE machines currently available on the market are refurbished ones. The strength of the GE Voluson i was in its intuitive keyboard setup. GE keeps similar layouts across all of its machines, so there is a limited learning curve when moving to a new model. The design made sense to our sonographers, making it easy to move from one mode to another. However, it had the lowest quality for 3D imaging, penetration, and color and pulsed-wave Doppler compared to the other models. It took more clicks and effort to save a video clip, resulting in a bulky user interface. It also had a limited number of presets, so the sonographers would most likely have to go in to create their own.
GE Voluson E6 - $$$$
The GE Voluson E6 is one in a long line of GE stand-alone machines, and the only stand-alone our sonographers tested. It was released in 2009 and has since been followed up by the E8 and E10. Stand-alone machines consistently have higher image quality than laptops, but they are limited in their portability. Our sonographers were impressed with the E6 across the board: image quality, penetration, and transducer quality. The E6 came with all of the tools they needed at high quality, and none of the extras they don't need. The E8 and E10 come with even more add-ons and tools, however, our team felt they wouldn't use those additional tools, so they were pleased with the level the E6 provided.
When deciding between a portable machine and a stand-alone, consider a cart (portable) or batteries (stand-alone) in the price. Each of these three portable machines had two cart options, a larger cart and a smaller one, which allows for different numbers of transducers to plug in. The GE E6 had the option to include a battery system that would aid in portability but is a significant charge on an already top of the line machine.
Whichever machine is purchased it is recommended to consider staff needs. The keyboard layout and the workflow are most useful when they are easy to navigate. Clear picture quality and penetration good enough to keep high picture resolution are important.