systemToshibaUltrasoundfamily: aplio

Toshiba Aplio 500

Family: Aplio · Manufacturer: Toshiba Medical · Modality: Ultrasound

Toshiba's premium cart-based general-imaging ultrasound platform of the early 2010s — direct predecessor to the current Aplio i-series. Strong fit across general radiology, abdominal, OB/GYN, vascular, MSK, breast, and cardiac (with cardiac-specific licensing). The "500" in the name was the workhorse premium tier; Aplio 300 / 400 sat below and Aplio Artida specialized in cardiac.

Specs

  • 4-port transducer connector
  • iAssist intelligent imaging assist
  • Differential Tissue Harmonic Imaging (D-THI)
  • Precision Imaging speckle reduction
  • Wide transducer compatibility — linear, curved, phased-array, intracavitary, TEE
  • Optional cardiac, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography, 4D licenses

Clinical positioning

  • Premium general-imaging US — the workhorse competitor to GE LOGIQ E9 and Philips iU22 / EPIQ at radiology / OB / vascular departments.
  • Strong cardiology option — with the cardiac license + appropriate phased-array probes, doubled as an echo platform.
  • Refurb position — deep aftermarket; one of the most refurbished premium US systems globally. Probe pricing dominates the resale conversation.

Top failure modes

  1. Probe end-of-life — high-volume premium probes (PVT-375BT curved, PLT-1005BT linear, PST-25BT phased) wear from clinical use; refurb houses harvest probes from retired Aplio 500s for the iSeries aftermarket.
  2. Trackball / control panel — ergonomic wear on cart-based systems with high duty cycles.
  3. Touch-screen LCD — original 19" main monitor and touch panel show backlight aging.

Acceptance checklist (refurb)

  • All 4 probe ports functional
  • Cardiac / contrast / elastography licenses confirmed if quoted
  • Trackball + control panel responsive
  • Main monitor + touch screen brightness within spec
  • DICOM transfer to customer PACS validated
  • OB measurement packages enabled per region

Related