MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 8, 2011) - Based on its recent analysis of the surgical ultrasound market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes BK Medical, with the 2011 North American Frost & Sullivan Product Differentiation Award for BK Medical's Advanced Robotic Ultrasound Technology (ART™), the industry's first comprehensive solution for integrating surgeon controlled ultrasound into robotic-assisted surgery.

"Launched in March 2011, BK Medical's ART solution includes an ultrasound system and transducers which are fully controllable from a robotic surgery console," notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Roberto Aranibar. "Frost & Sullivan believes that by streamlining workflow and providing a greater degree of accuracy, this solution overcomes the key challenges in using ultrasound during robotic-assisted surgery."

The ART solution consists of BK Medical's Flex Focus™ 700 ultrasound imaging system, its ProART™ transducer, its 3DART™ transducer and its RST™ Robotic Stationary Transducer Arm.

"Offering the functionality of a premium performance ultrasound system in a compact mobile unit, the Flex Focus 700 system has been specifically designed for use in operating rooms," elaborates Aranibar. "The system enables a simultaneous, picture-in-picture (PiP) display while also displaying images on a large, high resolution 19-inch monitor that is viewable over a wide angular range."

In addition to its touch screen operability, the Flex Focus 700 also offers a handheld remote, which gives surgeons full control of the system from the surgical console. For environments in which access to an electrical power source is limited, the system is also available with the BK Power Pack, an optional feature that can independently power the system for up to four hours.

The ProART transducer is the industry's first transducer dedicated to robotic-assisted surgery and is currently the only existing curved linear array transducer that easily fits through a standard-sized trocar and images in 2D, 3D, color and spectral Doppler modes.

The 3DART transducer is an industry leading electronic endocavity transducer that features built-in, high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition. It is designed to improve a surgeon's ability to assess the anatomy and geometry of targeted organs prior to beginning surgery.

"Due to its small diameter and internal components, the 3DART also results in minimal patient discomfort," adds Aranibar. "The RST Robotic Stationary Transducer Arm stabilizes the 3DART transducer during procedures."

The ART solution has already demonstrated its utility in robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and has promising potential in robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), procedures that are rapidly being adopted as viable treatment options for kidney and prostate cancer, respectively.

"In RARP procedures, the ART solution provides surgeons with improved visualization of the anatomy of the prostate, borders and nerve bundles," says Aranibar. "Similarly, due to its ability to give direct control of the ultrasound transducer to the surgeon to visualize and accurately map out tumor margins, the ProART transducer has the potential to shorten RAPN procedure times."

BK Medical is now evaluating the potential of using its ART solution for performing hysterectomy, which is one of the most commonly performed robotic-assisted surgeries in the U.S. and worldwide.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has excelled in the following criteria: developing unique product features/functionality, product quality and complexity, customizing the offering, matching target markets needs and promoting brand perception of the uniqueness of the product.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Analogic and the BK Medical brand

Analogic (NASDAQ: [ ALOG ]) provides leading-edge healthcare and security technology solutions to advance the practice of medicine and save lives. Analogic's ultrasound group designs and manufactures ultrasound systems and specialized transducers that are sold directly to medical practitioners under the BK Medical brand. For over 30 years, our market-leading BK Medical branded ultrasound solutions have been used to improve patient outcomes in procedure-driven markets such as urology, surgery, and anesthesia. Our ultrasound products, including the award-winning Flex Focus™ family of systems and unique transducer designs, offer advanced imaging capabilities that enable real-time image guidance in an easy to use, portable platform. Our ultrasound group has operations in Massachusetts, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Shanghai.

For more information on our BK Medical ultrasound products, visit [ www.bkmed.com ].

For more information on Analogic, visit [ www.analogic.com ].

About Frost & Sullivan

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