Samsung Healthcare unveiled a new ultrasound system this week designed to boost diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.
The system, named the R20, finally brings the full weight of Samsung Electronics’ AI and semiconductor capacity into an ultrasound platform, said Tracy Bury, chief commercial officer and vice president of global growth initiatives at Samsung Healthcare during an interview Tuesday at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual conference in Chicago.
The R20 system pairs Samsung’s imaging hardware with improved beamforming software, which helps produce sharper, more consistent images, she stated. It supports a wide spectrum of imaging use cases, such as abdomen, thyroid, musculoskeletal, vascular, breast, gynecology and urology.
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The product includes AI tools for real-time ultrasound guidance to help standardize how exams are performed, regardless of a user’s experience level, Bury pointed out. Reducing that variability is critical because ultrasound quality is highly operator-dependent.
“For an X-ray, it’s like taking a picture. While there’s different skill levels of photographers, they would still get some sort of an image. Whereas with ultrasound, I compare it to painting an image. If you don’t have the right skill level, no one might even know what they’re looking at,” Bury explained.
Greater consistency means more accurate diagnoses, fewer repeat scans — and potentially faster patient throughput, she noted.
She also highlighted the R20’s AI tools for diagnostic assistance. For example, the system can help users detect suspicious liver or breast lesions live during scanning.
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This feature helps users of all experience levels identify suspicious findings as they scan — which is particularly important in our post-pandemic reality, in which many experienced sonographers have retired and newer users have entered the field.
One physician user described the system as a “game changer” and “a fundamentally different way to scan,” according to Bury. She said this type of feedback is meaningful, especially in a field where ultrasound quality has always depended heavily on individual skill.
The R20 system’s real-time guidance could improve ultrasound consistency at scale if it’s widely adopted — which would illustrate how technology can complement, rather than replace, a clinician’s judgment.
Photo: Sundry Photography, Getty Images