Verathon is pleased to announce the new BladderScan BVI 9600 bladder volume instrument, with AortaScan Mode to help physicians identify the presence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). This new addition to the BladderScan BVI 9000 series will make its official debut at the PriMed MidWest 2009 conference in Rosemont, IL. Designed with Internists and Family Practitioners in mind, the new BladderScan BVI 9600 with AortaScan Mode, uses patented VMODE technology to noninvasively measure the diameter of the abdominal aorta. This crucial diameter measurement helps physicians identify the presence of AAA. The new BVI 9600 with AortaScan Mode offers health care providers a quick, accurate, and reliable instrument for their practice. The device, which does not require a sonographer, is easy for staff to learn and use. “As part of a patient’s annual physical or as part of a preventative health care benefit, the BladderScan BVI 9600 AortaScan exam can provide a critical measurement to help doctors quickly identify the presence of AAA and refer for further treatment,” said Gerald McMorrow, CEO, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Verathon, Inc. “With mortality rates approaching 95% for ruptured AAA, the ability to identify this life-threatening and often asymptomatic condition early is essential for delivering timely and effective patient care and improving patient outcomes.” The BladderScan BVI 9600 portable ultrasound instrument also noninvasively measures bladder volume to help diagnose urinary retention, evaluate common urological conditions and prevent unnecessary catheterization. The BVI 9600 provides the capability to measure adult bladder volumes using patent-pending NeuralHarmonics Technology, NeuralHarmonics Technology helps achieve previously unattainable differentiation of the bladder, urine and hypo-echogenic regions such as the uterus. When the scan button is pressed on the BladderScan BVI 9600, the instrument measures ultrasonic reflections on multiple planes inside the body and produces a three dimensional image. Based on this image, the BVI 9600 calculates and displays the bladder volume or diameter of the abdominal aorta on the color console, and offers aiming assistance to the user, on both the probe and the console. Unlike other ultrasound machines the portable BVI 9600 is quick and exam results can be provided in a matter of minutes during an office exam. The BVI 9600 instrument can save exam data to HIPAA-compliant ScanPoint online imaging technology from Verathon. ScanPoint technology provides the ability to view, save and print bladder volume or aortic diameter measurement reports as well as to quickly and easily calibrate BladderScan instruments online. To facilitate training, brief video tutorials for bladder volume mode and AortaScan mode are provided.