Needle Viz (in-plane) is a tool that overlays a B-mode image optimized for visualizing needles inserted at a 20-40 degree angle on top of regular B-mode. A region of interest in which the needle may be visualized is represented with a trapezoid, and the location of the region of interest (ROI) may be adjusted using the flip button.
Depending on your country and membership, Needle Viz (in-plane) is available on the iQ, iQ+ and iQ3 in the Musculoskeletal, MSK-Soft Tissue, Nerve, and Vascular: Access presets. For iQ+ Vet users, depending on your membership, Needle Viz (in-plane) is available in the Bladder, Musculoskeletal, Musculoskeletal Equine, Small Organ, and Vascular presets.
When using Needle Viz (in-plane), you can:
- Adjust the needle approach direction and angle
- Adjust scan depth
- Customize needle gain
- Activate biplane imaging (iQ+ and iQ3 only)
To use the Needle Viz Tool:
- From the scan screen, select the preset you'd like to use Needle Viz in.
- Select the Actions button on the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Under the “Tools” heading, select Needle Viz (in-plane).
- At the bottom of the screen, select "From left" or "From right" to indicate the direction of needle approach.
- At the bottom of the screen, select 40°, 30°, or 20° to adjust the angle based on the angle of the needle approach.
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To adjust the gain of the needle, swipe right or left on the screen. If you need to adjust the gain of the image, exit Needle Viz, adjust the gain to your satisfaction, then reactivate Needle Viz.
- For iQ+ or iQ3 users, to simultaneously use Biplane Imaging, activate Biplane from the actions menu. The reference plane will display the region-of-interest within which an in-plane needle will be highlighted. Additionally, if the needle crosses the orthogonal plane indicator, the position of the needle in the out-of-plane view will be projected upon the orthogonal plane. To adjust the position of the region-of-interest, tap the flip button.
Note: When using Needle Viz (in-plane) with Biplane Imaging with the iQ+ or iQ3, the position of the needle in the perpendicular plane is only highlighted if the needle is visible in-plane in the reference plane, and therefore in the midline of the perpendicular plane. The needle will be visible in the perpendicular plane, but the appearance will not be enhanced if the needle is not visible in the reference plane.