Reviews and News on Ultrasound Machines

The good sides of therapeutic ultrasound hide a big problem: these ultrasound machines are large and expensive. Add to that some focusing issues and therapeutic ultrasound shows definite limitations for clinical use for the here and now. That all may have changed.

A doctoral candidate at Cornell University has just set the world of therapeutic ultrasound on its ear. George Lewis has created ultrasound devices that are pocket sized, instead of the current ones that can top out at thirty pounds. These small devices are more powerful than their large predecessors and the cost? Around USD$100. For comparison, that larger ultrasound we mentioned earlier regularly sells in the neighborhood of USD$20,000.

How was this accomplished? Mr. Lewis (remember he’s not a PhD yet) has increased the efficiency of an existing transducer. In the traditional method, a great deal of the energy used to convert the voltage to sound waves is lost. Lewis has created a way to increase the efficiency of this process. In his versions, up to 95% of the source energy goes into the transducer.

This means that his smaller ultrasound transducer can use less power to make the same output, or use the same power to generate a much more powerful output. Lewis envisions small, cell phone sized devices that can cauterize wounds at the scene of the accident, for example. Smaller probes will be able to get closer to tumors, but have the same output as larger probes.

Clinical trials are currently underway. This is significant because it is the first step toward getting approval of the new technology for patient use. The initial work is being done with a form of drug delivery. Hydrogen sulfide, a substance toxic at high doses, is being administered in small doses that are targeted to a particular area by this new small ultrasound unit. This will cut down the toxic risk of a systemic dose of the medication, but increase the effectiveness by localizing the small dose.

These are only the first tentative steps for this novel technology. FDA approval and widespread clinical use is still years ahead, but the avenues for this new therapeutic ultrasound machine are limitless. This innovation will shift not only the use, but the effectiveness and the accessibility, of therapeutic ultrasound.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Medical Equipment, ultrasound machine, Ultrasound Machines, ultrasound transducer