RSNA was a big meeting for Konica Minolta. The company announced it would be acquiring Panasonic’s ultrasound division, effective January 1, 2014. In addition, the company is launching its first hand-held ultrasound device for bedside care.
The announcement comes 7 years after Konica Minolta announced in 2006 that it would stop manufacturing cameras, the company’s core business throughout most of the last century. “The acquisition of Panasonic Healthcare ultrasound business represents additional growth opportunities for our company in the primary imaging solutions market,” said David Widmann, president and COO of the medical imaging division. “Panasonic has a rich, 50-year history in ultrasound with a reputation for high-quality products.”
Konica Minolta’s own palm-sized Sonimage P3 ultrasound system weighs less than 14 ounces and comes with a high-resolution touchscreen, interchangeable transducers, and 4 GB storage capacity for up to 10,000 images. The device is intended for fetal and pregnancy assessments and abdominal, lung, and pelvic examinations. It can be used as a stand-alone tool but is compatible with PC-based devices for larger display, and offers B-mode, M-mode, Doppler, and other presets.
