Reviews and News on Ultrasound Machines

Just last year, insurance companies announced plans to limit coverage of mammogram screenings in women who are under 45 or who are not within a high-risk category for breast cancer. Part of the reason for this recommendation may have been motivated by the high cost of the tests, but some in the medical community believe mammograms expose patients to higher levels of radiation than necessary.

Until recently, ultrasound scanning was not used to detect cancer because it could only provide a two dimensional image of the area in question. However, the new 3-D Doppler ultrasound machines use a special technique that allows doctors to evaluate the blood flow through the major arteries of the body, as well as the veins of the arms, legs, neck and abdomen.

Mammography is still the primary diagnostic tool for finding abnormalities in the breast, but the use of ultrasound, particularly Doppler 3-D ultrasound, is in on the rise. One reason for this is the improved safety of ultrasound, and another is relative cost of the test. Plus, mammography can be less than accurate when a woman has dense, glandular breasts. Many clinicians prefer to use ultrasound machine imaging as a secondary method of determining whether an abnormality is a sold mass, a fluid filled cyst, or both. It can also show some of the area’s other unique characteristics.

In addition to the size, shape and texture of a breast abnormality, Doppler ultrasound can assess the blood supply in lesions of the breast. As a result, it is often used as a supplemental method of cancer screening for women who are at high risk for breast cancer and unable to tolerate an MRI.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, ultrasound machine, Used Medical Equipment

As the technology that fuels ultrasound machines continues to improve, doctors have found more and more uses for this noninvasive diagnostic tool. In many cases, ultrasound machines have been used to determine whether a tumor or mass is malignant before the biopsy results come back.

In the field of gynecology, doctors have been searching for ways to detect small tumors in the breast before they show up on a mammogram, and ultrasound has provided that technology.

One reason why ultrasound has become so much better at detecting these abnormalities is the development of new 3-D color Doppler ultrasound machines. They use the measurement of sound waves, along with some very sophisticated computer equipment to show doctors the speed at which blood is moving through the veins and through blood vessels. When blood flows through or around a suspicious area, and it can be seen in three dimensions, it is easy to detect some cancers before they become large tumors.

How does the measure of blood flow help ultrasound machines locate cancer?

Cancer cells grow very rapidly and need extra blood in order to multiply. Because Doppler ultrasound machines have the ability to monitor blood flow, it can also distinguish between a cancerous and non-cancerous (benign) mass. By picking up early signs of increased blood flow in a cancerous area, it can diagnose a malignancy faster than any other imaging technique.

While certainly not a replacement for mammography or biopsy, physicians expect 3-D Color Doppler ultrasound machines to play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment

Today’s ultrasound equipment is now being used for everything from chronic pain to surgery, but modern ultrasound machines are a far cry from the huge apparatus that once occupied a whole clinical imaging suite. Thanks to microcircuits, some of the most powerful new devices are no larger than a cell phone or iPod.

Portable ultrasound devices will soon become a common way to treat arthritis and joint pain. Biomedical engineering has made it possible to create miniature devices with tiny ceramic transducers that can actually deliver high frequency sound waves. Physicians are hoping these devices will enhance the mobility of arthritis sufferers because they can deliver pain relief “on the fly”.

One challenge with any portable medical devices has always been the battery life. This is an important element of their success since most users would want to carry a portable ultrasound device without the need for constant recharging. Depending on the dosage level, most portable ultrasound machines maintain a charge for four to eight hours. Most patients are so grateful to be able to wear a device like this on the elbow, back or knee while running or biking that they will put up with the minor inconvenience of keeping the device fully charged.

With the support of the National Science Foundation and physician researchers at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine, prototypes of consumer handheld ultrasound sound wave generators will be soon be brought to market. Down the road, they may also be used to activate implanted cancer drug treatments or deliver medicine through the skin.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment

Today’s ultrasound equipment is now being used for everything from chronic pain to surgery, but modern ultrasound machines are a far cry from the huge apparatus that once occupied a whole clinical imaging suite. Thanks to microcircuits, some of the most powerful new devices are no larger than a cell phone or iPod.

Portable ultrasound devices will soon become a common way to treat arthritis and joint pain. Biomedical engineering has made it possible to create miniature devices with tiny ceramic transducers that can actually deliver high frequency sound waves. Physicians are hoping these devices will enhance the mobility of arthritis sufferers because they can deliver pain relief “on the fly”.

One challenge with any portable medical devices has always been the battery life. This is an important element of their success since most users would want to carry a portable ultrasound device without the need for constant recharging. Depending on the dosage level, most portable ultrasound machines maintain a charge for four to eight hours. Most patients are so grateful to be able to wear a device like this on the elbow, back or knee while running or biking that they will put up with the minor inconvenience of keeping the device fully charged.

With the support of the National Science Foundation and physician researchers at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine, prototypes of consumer handheld ultrasound sound wave generators will be soon be brought to market. Down the road, they may also be used to activate implanted cancer drug treatments or deliver medicine through the skin.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Portable Ultrasound, portable ultrasound machines, Ultrasound Machines, Used Medical Equipment