Samsung Medison Introduces 'miniER7', the Smallest Diameter Probe for Prostate Ultrasound Examination

63% Reduction in Head Volume Compared to Existing Probe
Expected Relief of Patient Pain and Medical Staff Procedure Stress During Examination

Comparison of probes for prostate ultrasound examination. The left is the new product 'miniER7', and the right is the existing product 'EA2-11AR'
[Photo by Samsung Medison]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Samsung Medison announced on the 21st that it has developed the 'miniER7', a prostate ultrasound probe with a significantly reduced head volume compared to existing models, and presented clinical trial results at the Autumn Academic Conference of the Korean Society of Urogenital Ultrasound.

Prostate ultrasound examinations typically involve inserting the probe through the anus, causing discomfort or pain for patients, and often leading to stress for medical staff. Patients with anal conditions such as hemorrhoids or fistulas may experience even greater pain during the examination.

Reflecting these challenges in medical practice, Samsung Medison developed the new 'miniER7' by making the probe head smaller while applying cutting-edge microfabrication technology and the latest imaging and signal processing technologies to prevent image quality degradation.

The 'miniER7' reduces the probe head radius to less than 1 cm (sub-centimeter), shrinking the volume by 63% compared to the company's existing probes, which is expected to help reduce patient pain and discomfort.

Professor Hwang Sung-il of the Department of Radiology at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital stated in a special lecture at the Korean Society of Urogenital Ultrasound, "Although Samsung Medison's newly developed 'miniER7' has a reduced probe head size, it sufficiently meets the image quality required for diagnosis," adding, "The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain in patients undergoing the examination decreased from 4.2 to 2.1, indicating a clinically significant improvement."

Ko Hyun-pil, Head of the Probe Team at Samsung Medison (Executive Director), said, "Prostate cancer is rapidly increasing in Korea, ranking first in incidence growth rate, making early diagnosis more important than ever," and added, "This minimum-diameter probe is also expected to aid gynecological diagnoses, such as for postmenopausal women, and we will continue to introduce excellent products that reflect the demands of medical practice for patient-centered care."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.