Velacur is intended to provide estimates of tissue stiffness generated from shear wave speed measurements (40-70 Hz) and coefficient of attenuation. The device is indicated to non-invasively determine liver tissue stiffness and attenuation. These are meant to be used in conjunction with other clinical indicators in order to assist in clinical management of patients with liver disease. The device is intended to be used in a clinical setting and by appropriately trained medical professionals.
Device Story
Portable ultrasound elastography system for point-of-care use in clinics/hospitals. Operates by placing an activation unit under a supine patient to generate mechanical shear waves (40, 50, 60 Hz) in the liver. An ultrasound transducer placed on the patient's skin over the intercostal space captures volumetric scans. Device algorithms identify liver tissue and assess shear wave quality; calculates tissue stiffness (shear modulus) and ultrasound attenuation (power loss). Output provided to medical professionals to assist in clinical management of liver disease.
Clinical Evidence
Bench testing only. No clinical or animal data. Validation performed using homogeneous elasticity phantoms (with/without solid containers) and attenuation phantoms. Elasticity: maximum bias <10% vs MRE, precision <2%. Attenuation: maximum bias 5.21%, mean precision 2.02%. All results met pre-defined acceptance criteria.
Technological Characteristics
Portable ultrasound pulsed echo imaging system. Components: activation unit (mechanical vibration 40-60 Hz) and ultrasound transducer. Complies with IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-1-2, IEC 60601-1-6, IEC 60601-2-37, IEC 62359, ISO 14971, and ISO 10993-1. Software lifecycle per IEC 62304.
Indications for Use
Indicated for patients with liver disease to non-invasively determine liver tissue stiffness and attenuation to assist in clinical management.
Regulatory Classification
Identification
An ultrasonic pulsed echo imaging system is a device intended to project a pulsed sound beam into body tissue to determine the depth or location of the tissue interfaces and to measure the duration of an acoustic pulse from the transmitter to the tissue interface and back to the receiver. This generic type of device may include signal analysis and display equipment, patient and equipment supports, component parts, and accessories.
Special Controls
*Classification.* Class II (special controls). A biopsy needle guide kit intended for use with an ultrasonic pulsed echo imaging system only is exempt from the premarket notification procedures in subpart E of part 807 of this chapter subject to the limitations in § 892.9.
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September 12, 2023
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Sonic Incytes % Rhona Shanker President Z & B Enterprises, Inc. 12154 Darnestown Road. #236 GAITHERSBURG MD 20878
Re: K232459
Trade/Device Name: Velacur Regulation Number: 21 CFR 892.1560 Regulation Name: Ultrasonic pulsed echo imaging system Regulatory Class: Class II Product Code: IYO, ITX Dated: August 14, 2023 Received: August 15, 2023
Dear Rhona Shanker:
We have reviewed your Section 510(k) premarket notification of intent to market the device referenced above and have determined the device is substantially equivalent (for the indications for use stated in the enclosure) to legally marketed predicate devices marketed in interstate commerce prior to May 28, 1976, the enactment date of the Medical Device Amendments, or to devices that have been reclassified in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Act) that do not require approval of a premarket approval application (PMA). You may, therefore, market the device, subject to the general controls provisions of the Act. Although this letter refers to your product as a device, please be aware that some cleared products may instead be combination products. The 510(k) Premarket Notification Database located at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpmn/pmn.cfm identifies combination product submissions. The general controls provisions of the Act include requirements for annual registration. listing of devices, good manufacturing practice, labeling, and prohibitions against misbranding and adulteration. Please note: CDRH does not evaluate information related to contract liability warranties. We remind you, however, that device labeling must be truthful and not misleading.
If your device is classified (see above) into either class II (Special Controls) or class III (PMA), it may be subject to additional controls. Existing major regulations affecting your device can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Parts 800 to 898. In addition, FDA may publish further announcements concerning your device in the Federal Register.
Please be advised that FDA's issuance of a substantial equivalence determination does not mean that FDA has made a determination that your device complies with other requirements of the Act or any Federal statutes and regulations administered by other Federal agencies. You must comply with all the Act's
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requirements, including, but not limited to: registration and listing (21 CFR Part 807); labeling (21 CFR Part 801); medical device reporting of medical device-related adverse events) (21 CFR 803) for devices or postmarketing safety reporting (21 CFR 4, Subpart B) for combination products (see https://www.fda.gov/combination-products/guidance-regulatory-information/postmarketing-safety-reportingcombination-products); good manufacturing practice requirements as set forth in the quality systems (OS) regulation (21 CFR Part 820) for devices or current good manufacturing practices (21 CFR 4, Subpart A) for combination products; and, if applicable, the electronic product radiation control provisions (Sections 531-542 of the Act); 21 CFR 1000-1050.
Also, please note the regulation entitled, "Misbranding by reference to premarket notification" (21 CFR Part 807.97). For questions regarding the reporting of adverse events under the MDR regulation (21 CFR Part 803), please go to https://www.fda.gov/medical-device-safety/medical-device-reportingmdr-how-report-medical-device-problems.
For comprehensive regulatory information about mediation-emitting products, including information about labeling regulations, please see Device Advice (https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/device-advice-comprehensive-regulatory-assistance) and CDRH Learn (https://www.fda.gov/training-and-continuing-education/cdrh-learn). Additionally, you may contact the Division of Industry and Consumer Education (DICE) to ask a question about a specific regulatory topic. See the DICE website (https://www.fda.gov/medical-device-advice-comprehensive-regulatoryassistance/contact-us-division-industry-and-consumer-education-dice) for more information or contact DICE by email (DICE@fda.hhs.gov) or phone (1-800-638-2041 or 301-796-7100).
Sincerely,
# Yanna S. Kang -S
Yanna Kang, Ph.D. Assistant Director Mammography and Ultrasound Team DHT8C: Division of Radiological Imaging and Radiation Therapy Devices OHT8: Office of Radiological Health Office of Product Evaluation and Quality Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Enclosure
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### Indications for Use
510(k) Number (if known) K232459
Device Name Velacur
Indications for Use (Describe)
Velacur is intended to provide estimates of tissue stiffness generated from shear wave speed measurements (40-70 Hz) and coefficient of attenuation. The device is indicated to non-invasively determine liver tissue stiffness and attenuation. These are meant to be used in conjunction with other clinical indicators in order to assist in clinical management of patients with liver disease. The device is intended to be used in a clinical setting and by appropriately trained medical professionals.
| Type of Use (Select one or both, as applicable) | |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <div> <span> <span style="font-size:16px">☑</span> Prescription Use (Part 21 CFR 801 Subpart D) </span> </div> | <div> <span> <span style="font-size:16px">☐</span> Over-The-Counter Use (21 CFR 801 Subpart C) </span> </div> |
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Image /page/3/Picture/1 description: The image shows the logo for SonicIncytes. The logo consists of a blue square with rounded corners on the left, containing a stylized sound wave graphic in white. To the right of the square is the company name "SonicIncytes" in a blue, sans-serif font. The overall design is clean and modern.
### Section 5 - 510(k) Summary
#### Sonic Incytes Velacur system
## K232459
#### l. Submitter:
Sonic Incytes #309-1788 West 5th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6J 1P2 Canada Telephone: +1 604 875 4111 Extension: 54851
Contact person: Rhona Shanker Date Prepared: 11 August 2023
- II. Device
Name of Device: Velacur
Model: LI-1005
Common Name: Ultrasound elastography system
| Classification Name | Regulation | Product Code |
|------------------------------------------|------------------|--------------|
| Ultrasonic Pulsed Echo Imaging<br>System | 21 CFR §892.1560 | IYO |
| Diagnostic Ultrasonic<br>Transducer | 21 CFR §892.1570 | ITX |
#### Predicate Device
Velacur (K223287) manufactured by Sonic Incytes Medical Corp., Vancouver, Canada, and cleared on April 20, 2023.
#### Device Description
Velacur is a portable device intended to non-invasively measure the stiffness and attenuation of the liver via measurement of liver tissue shear modulus and ultrasound attenuation. This is done by measuring the wavelength or wave speed of mechanically created shear waves within the organ of the patient. Attenuation is measured directly via the loss in power of the ultrasound beam.
The device is designed to be used at the point of care, in clinics and hospitals. The device is used by a medical profession, an employee of the clinic/hospital. The activation unit is placed under the patient, while lying supine on an exam bed. The activation unit vibrates at frequencies 40, 50, and 60 Hz causing shear waves within the liver of the patient. The ultrasound transducer is placed on the patient's skin, over the intercostal space, and is used to take volumetric scans of the liver while shear waves are occurring. The device includes two algorithms designed to help users detect good quality shear waves and identify liver tissue. From the scan data, the device calculates tissue stiffness and attenuation.
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Velacur Model: LI-1005
The significant change was optimization of the elasticity and attenuation calculations by implementing alternate scientifically established methods while maintaining the same output measurements.
#### Intended Use/ Indication for Use
Velacur is intended to provide estimates of tissue stiffness generated from shear wave speed measurements (40-70Hz) and coefficient of attenuation. The device is indicated to non-invasively determine liver tissue stiffness and attenuation. These are meant to be used in conjunction with other clinical indicators in order to assist in clinical management of patients with liver disease. The device is intended to be used in a clinical setting and by appropriately trained medical professionals.
#### Substantial Equivalence
The candidate device has an equivalent intended use and indications for use as the predicate device.
The technology used in the candidate and predicate device is based on ultrasound to measure elastography and attenuation. The systems measure the same physical variables, tissue stiffness and ultrasound attenuation, and therefore the devices are substantially equivalent in their basic technology. Sonic Incytes has optimized the core algorithms that measure tissue stiffness and ultrasound attenuation. These changes were made by implementing alternate scientifically established methods while maintaining the same output measurement.
The candidate device with the described changes does not raise any new issues of safety or effectiveness.
#### Performance Data
The following non-clinical testing was performed:
- . The validation of the changes from the predicate were tested and documented based on the tests performed on phantoms with known elasticity and attenuation.
Specifically, non-clinical bench testing included:
- . Performance verification testing
- . Elasticity testing on phantoms, with comparison to magnetic resonance elasticity and/or predicate device
- Attenuation testing with phantoms, using phantoms with known attenuation
No animal or clinical performance was performed.
#### Recognized Consensus Standards Used
The system complies with the same standards as the predicate, the standards are:
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IEC 60601-1-2 Edition 4.1: Medical Electrical Equipment - Part 1-2: General Requirements for Basic Safety and Essential Performance - Collateral Standard: Electromagnetic Disturbances - Requirements and Tests
ANSI AAMI 60601-1:2005/(R)2012 And A1:2012: Medical Electrical Equipment - Part 1: General Requirements for Basic Safety and Essential Performance (IEC 60601-1:2005, MOD)
IEC 60601-1-6 Edition 3.1 2013-10: Medical Electrical Equipment - Part 1-6: General Requirements for Basic Safety and Essential Performance - Collateral Standard: Usability
IEC 62304:2006/A1:2015: Medical Device Software - Software Life Cycle Processes [Including Amendment 1 (2016)
IEC 60601-2-37 Edition 2.1 2015 Medical Electrical Equipment - Part 2-37: Particular Requirements for The Basic Safety and Essential Performance Of Ultrasonic Medical Diagnostic And Monitoring Equipment
IEC 62359: Edition 2.1 2017-09: Ultrasonics - Field Characterization - Test Methods for The Determination of Thermal and Mechanical Indices Related to Medical Diagnostic Ultrasonic Fields
ISO 14971 Third Edition 2019-12: Medical Devices - Application of Risk Management to Medical Devices
ISO 10993-1 fifth edition 2018-08: Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices - Part 1: Evaluation and Testing Within A Risk Management Process
### Bench Testing Validation for Elasticity and Attenuation Algorithms
Bench testing validation for both algorithms is summarized below:
#### Elasticity
#### Homogeneous Elasticity Phantoms
The methods used to measure the stiffness with both MRE and Velacur show comparable results which are within the acceptance criteria for stiffness for 4 phantoms of various elasticities. The maximum bias between MRE and Velacur was less than 10% and the precision was less than 2%.
In addition, when comparing the accuracy of the proposed algorithm with the predicate, the Bland-Altman plots show that no value falls outside the 1.96*STD lines.
#### Homogeneous Elasticity Phantom without a solid container
Elasticity bench testing was done on a "boundary-less" phantom to ensure that the proposed algorithm is not affected by boundary conditions specific to the phantoms. The bias between the measurements on the phantom without a solid container with the proposed device was less than the 10% acceptance criterion. The precision of the device with the proposed algorithm using the same phantom was 0.8%, which is within the acceptance criteria of 10%.
#### Attenuation
The attenuation algorithm was validated using three attenuation phantoms that span the expected range of attenuation values in human liver.
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# cytes
The overall bias (in comparison to the phantom specification for attenuation) for the proposed algorithm was 3.86%, which was less than the predicate. The maximum bias was 5.21% for the proposed Velacur attenuation algorithm which is less than the 10% acceptance criterion.
The maximum precision seen with the proposed Velacur attenuation algorithm was 3.22%. The mean precision value across all the phantoms was 2.02% for the proposed Velacur attenuation algorithm, both below the acceptance criterion of 10%.
#### Conclusion
The conclusions drawn from the testing described above demonstrate that the device is substantially equivalent to the predicate device with respect to safety, efficacy and performance.
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1. Search: exact and fuzzy
Type a phrase like "coronary artery calcification" into the search box. You get two kinds of results. Exact results match the literal phrase — prefix searches work ("coronary artery calcificati") but suffix searches do not. Fuzzy results match on the meaning and intent of your phrase rather than the exact words, and are sorted by relevance score. Hover over the Exact or Fuzzy badge on any row to see exactly why it matched.
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Exact matches on the literal phrase (prefix search works, suffix does not). Fuzzy matches on the meaning and intent of the phrase rather than the exact words. Hover over the badge on any row to see why it matched.
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Scroll right in the results table. The intended use is extracted for you — no need to open the PDF. The device story gives a high-level snapshot of what the device does and how it's used. The AI Performance sub-table shows each output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, and development/test dataset descriptions — the same format Innolitics uses for regulatory strategy outputs, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. It is AI-generated but has been very reliable in practice.
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Scroll right in the search results table. The intended use column is extracted for you; no need to dig into the 510(k) summary PDF.
What does the AI Performance sub-table show, and why is it useful?
Output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, development dataset description, and test dataset description. It's the same format we use for regulatory strategy output and Fast 510(k) input, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. AI-generated but reliable in practice.
3. Judging fuzzy relevance
Fuzzy results trail off in relevance as you scroll. Use three signals to decide how far down to go: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether your target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, you're past the relevant zone. A top hit with a low score (~0.4) and a stretched explanation is a hint the closest predicates are far away — the project may be headed for De Novo. Note the fuzzy search is a pattern match: it doesn't handle negation ("not") well, and hardware devices can appear — filter by SaMD/AI ML to cut them.
How do you judge how far down fuzzy search results to go?
Use the relevancy signals: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether the target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, results are trailing off in relevancy.
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Reading rule for every project: how many summaries do you read in full?
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Select multiple rows in the results table (aim for under ~10), then open the PDF Viewer tab. Ask one question — it goes to all selected devices in parallel, each with citations. This is the fastest way to compare and contrast devices: training data, PCCP scope, how they handled adding new scanners, and so on.
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Select multiple devices, open the PDF viewer tab, and ask one question (e.g., "Describe the training data"). It queries all selected devices simultaneously with citations, so you can compare and contrast quickly.
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Browse product codes and regulation numbers, read the identification text and special controls, browse sibling product codes, open device PDFs on the right, and search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree.
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Click Show Chart and segment by regulation number (or product code) to see which regulations dominate your result set. Clicking a regulation takes you into the regulations tree. Great for spotting that most matches are, say, hardware laparoscopic devices — a cue to go back and filter.
How do you see which regulations dominate a search result set?
Click "Show Chart" and segment by Regulation Number. Clicking a regulation takes you to the regulations tree.
9. The predicate graph
Open the Predicates tab for a family-tree view of predicate relationships. Click a node to trace its parents and children; selections from search carry over pre-selected. Commonly predicated devices are worth reading — a lot of people predicated them for a reason. The visual lineage is also handy on client calls, e.g. to show how a predicate family evolved and justify why your predicate still holds.
In the predicate graph, why are commonly predicated devices worth reading?
A lot of people predicated them for a reason. Clicking a node traces parents and children, and selections from search carry over pre-selected.
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The Embeddings tab plots every matching document in a 2-D "galaxy map" where semantically similar devices cluster together. Hover or click clusters to explore, and let AI label the clusters for you. Embeddings beat product codes for grouping: two devices can carry different product codes (LLZ vs. QIH) yet do the same thing — the embedding captures the meaning of the intended use and device story. This is also exactly how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) works under the hood, and it makes a great visual on client calls.
Try it yourself
Head to the search page and work through a few of these AI/ML fuzzy searches to build intuition: perivascular fat on CT · aortic valve calcification opportunistic screening on noncontrast CT · breast cancer prediction on digital pathology slides · autism detection · gestational age prediction · a hearing aid that can also detect a pulse · foundation model based analysis of ECG · large language models · penetration test. Watch how the relevance scores, intended use, and AI Performance tables tell you when results stop being meaningful.