GE Healthcare is launching a new cardiovascular ultrasound package based on artificial intelligence (AI) at this week's European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting.
Called Vivid Ultra Edition, it represents GE's integration of AI into echocardiography scanning, and is available across the entire Vivid cardiovascular ultrasound portfolio.
The package is designed to enable clinicians to acquire faster, more repeatable ultrasound exams consistently. This is a major concern in echocardiography, which requires methodical assessments of heart function that can be time-consuming to acquire, according to the vendor.
Vivid Ultra Edition includes capabilities such as Spectrum Recognition, which can semiautomatically detect the appropriate measurement of spectral Doppler images, and AI Auto Measure 2D, which can detect the relevant points in images used to derive measurements of the left ventricle. Another tool, AI View Recognition, automatically detects which standard 2D scan plane is being acquired and can store the label in the image file.
GE is also promoting the advanced visualization capabilities of Vivid Ultra Edition. A mode called HD Color displays anatomy and jet using shadowing and reflections to enhance the perception of 3D, while FlexiLight provides photorealistic images to improve the ability to visualize moving structures. And a 3D transthoracic pediatric probe, 6VDc, offers 2D and 4D imaging of pediatric patients.
Vivid iq and Vivid T8/T9 systems are 510(k) pending at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not available for sale in the U.S.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
