Clarius Mobile Health has announced the release of the new Clarius L20 HD. In keeping with its mission to deliver accurate, easy-to-use and affordable handheld ultrasound scanners that are suitable for every medical practitioner, this latest innovation features ultra-high definition medical imaging for superficial applications.

Designed to provide extremely high image quality in the near field (skin line to 4cm), the Clarius L20 HD is ideal for a variety of clinical settings including MSK, rheumatology, podiatry, plastic surgery, microsurgery, pediatric anesthesia, line placement and other specialty applications that currently rely on costly cart-based systems to visualize shallow anatomy.

The Clarius L20 HD has been cleared by the FDA and has CE Mark for the EU. It is available now in the United States (USD$6,900), United Kingdom (£5,750) and the EU (€6,250) at a fraction of traditional and cart-based systems that start from US$35,000, representing over 80% savings.

"Every medical practitioner should have access to high definition imaging to improve confidence in diagnoses and accuracy in guided procedures. Historically, ultra-high frequency imaging for superficial scanning was only found on costly premium systems, which has been a barrier to adoption," says Clarius CEO Laurent Pelissier. "We've miniaturized ultrasound, without compromising image quality. With the Clarius L20, we are excited to release the highest frequency ultrasound imaging in a wireless scanner now at such an affordable price point."

Dr. Kenneth Fan, a microsurgeon at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery department of Med-Star Georgetown University Hospital, was one of the first physicians to get early access to the Clarius L20 HD.

"The thing that I most appreciate about the Clarius L20 ultrasound is that it is highly portable, which is absolutely important for plastic surgeons. It's an absolute game-changer," says Dr. Fan. "We compared it to another handheld device and the fidelity of the Clarius L20 image was much better."

Dr. Fan is enthusiastic about how access to pocket ultrasound will help more surgeons tackle complex microsurgical dissections with confidence. "Ultrasound is the new arena," he says. "People are starting to say ultrasound is the plastic surgeon's stethoscope because we work so much with soft tissue and superficial tissue. It's useful for microvascular imaging, blocks for nerve surgery and draining seromas."

Offering a frequency range of 8-20 MHz, the Clarius L20 HD is capable of imaging down to 4 cm. With its easy-to-use apps for iOS and Android, it delivers high quality images that are comparable to premium cart-based systems, without the need to adjust complex knobs and switches. Artificial intelligence adjusts imaging parameters in real-time based on the scanning application.

For physical therapist Greg Fritz, PT, DPT, RMSK, Owner and Lead Sonologist at EchoHealth, ultrasound image quality is pivotal in the correct management and diagnosis of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. Fritz was instrumental in early testing of the new Clarius L20 HD.

"The ultrasound image quality achieved in a handheld scanner with the Clarius L20 is truly ground-breaking," says Fritz, who is particularly excited about using the new scanner for hand and rheumatology applications. "I think the ability to accurately differentiate the fiber orientations of similar tendon tracts and to delineate circumferential measurements of small structures is going to be phenomenal. We now have the resolution to more accurately identify the finger pulley mechanism, superficial nerve lesions and the nuances of carpal tunnel structures."

Fritz will continue to rely on the Clarius L15 HD for most of his patients, "the Clarius L15 works perfectly as my workhorse and I've been truly blown away by its image quality. I am impressed with how the engineering allows me to go deep enough for most occupational medicine assessments and to confidently screen injuries on the field or courtside." In the coming weeks, Fritz plans to host an all-day community outreach event with free hand screening using the Clarius L20 in his town of Anacortes, Washington. "The high-definition of the L20 will be ideal for superficial applications where I need to refine focus on the fascicles of superficial nerves, to diagnose small tears on pulley systems in hands and to resolve more fully the screening scan structures of the temporomandibular joint."

The secret to the high image quality of the Clarius L20 HD is in the design. The Clarius Octal Beamforming technology brings advanced beamforming technology typically only found in high-end cart-based systems. The Clarius L20 HD features 8 octal beams and 192 elements to deliver faster frame rates and a high definition image quality that physicians can trust.

Like all Clarius HD scanners, the L20 comes with no annual fees, unlimited Clarius Cloud storage, unlimited users, free one-touch telemedicine with Clarius Live and with a 7-day money back guarantee. Contact Clarius today for more information or to book a live demonstration of the new Clarius L20 HD.

[Disclosures: Dr. Fan is not a consultant and did not receive honoraria from Clarius. He has no relevant disclosures to provide.]