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

An Endoscope is a long thin tube with a miniature camera lens fixed on the tip of the tube, and a light source at the other. It is inserted in the body cavity of a person in order to view the inside of the intestines, oesophagus etc, and a magnified image of the relevant area is transmitted to a viewing monitor. The Endoscopy equipment consists of a control head and a flexible long tube containing several other tubes transmitting light, air, water or even suction.

Endoscopes pertaining to the specific parts of the body are developed in order to customize the procedures with regards to ailments relating to the abdominal cavity, lungs, bladder, uterus, nasal, rectum etc. For example, a gastro scope is used to view the insides of the stomach intestines; a laparoscope is used to look in anything from the gall bladder to the women’s reproductive organs etc.

Initially endoscopic instruments were only used to take images of the organs and intestines, today, live color video can be viewed and all aspects of the affected area can be diagnosed first hand with the use of fiber optic instruments encasing thousands of mirrors and lens in a very tiny, flexible and compact tube.

With the advancement of modern technology and the development of the endoscopic equipments, these are also used to take a biopsy, suck formation of pus, and also perform surgeries such as hernia, fallopian tubal ligation, laser surgeries etc.

The patient is usually given anesthesia for sedation and also given pain killing medications to avoid soreness or discomfort. The procedure is hardly invasive, although in some cases it requires tiny incisions depending on the requirement. After the procedure the patient is kept in observation for few hours till the effect of the anesthesia wears off and is further checked for any discomforting effects or reactions.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Medical Equipment, portable ultrasound machines, ultrasound machine, Used Medical Equipment, used medical supplies

Pulse Wave Doppler is an imaging technique based on the ultrasound imaging principle. Ultrasound images of blood flow, either by Color Flow, Power Doppler, Continuous Wave, or Pulse Wave Doppler all essentially give the movement of the blood. Using any of the methods details about the heart circulation and blood can be found. In the technique of Pulse Wave Doppler (PWD) a series of electrical pulses are transmitted to visualize the movement of blood.

The electrical pulses sent give the echoes; depending upon the echoes the blood flow is calculated. By the Doppler Effect it can be clearly differentiated among the blood vessels and the body tissues. As the echoes from the stationary type body tissues are constant and do not change from pulse to pulse while echoes from the moving objects like blood changes from time to time with every pulse. These differences in the flow can be directly measured by the time difference or in terms of the phase difference from which the Doppler Frequency is determined.

In Pulse Wave Doppler imaging the electrical signals are sent in the form of pulses. The transmission of the pulsated signal is produced by the oscillators, which changes its voltage according to the resonance frequency. Short duration pulses of the ultrasound frequency are sent with a specific frequency, which is known as pulse repetition frequency (PRF). In the duration of the pulse transmission echoes continuously returns to the receiving transducer, but all the receiving signals are not viewed. The receiving transducer has its fixed frequency to open the gate for receiving the signals. The shift in the frequency from the pulse transmission is to allow the estimation of the Doppler Frequency Shift.

Pulse Wave Doppler is a famous technique used for imaging the blood flow by the electrical pulse methods and the technique has its own instruments, which are used to measure the blood flow.

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Color Flow Mode (CFM) is also called as Color Flow Doppler Imaging (CFD). These are the ultrasonic imaging techniques used for measuring the blood flow through the heart. They display the flow data on the 2-D echocardiography image. The technique is mainly used for determining the congenital, valvular and other forms of disease related to heart.

The color flow mode imaging is based on the Doppler Effect of the acoustics. The Doppler Effect helps to find out the blood flow from different parts of the body. It helps to identify the direction of the flow of blood. Color flow mode imaging is understandable to the common user. They avoid the displays of the complex spectral velocity structures.

In the color flow imaging different colors defines the direction of the given jet. The red color and blue colors are taken for defining the direction. The change in the hues from bright to dull depicts the change in the velocities. When there is turbulence in the blood flow a mosaic of colors is formed. Therefore a 2-D display of the blood flow is depicted by the identification of size, velocity and direction.

Red color is used to depict the flow towards the transducer and the blue color is used to depict the flow away from the transducer. Different color references can always be seen in different Doppler Imaging devices. Generally in color flow mode the color bar of black color represents zero flow.

Color flow mode is a very easy and understandable way to study the ultrasonic waves to calculate the blood flow. By making different colors as the codes to measure the flow of blood people can get easily the meaning of the reports generated. These techniques work in the normal hearing range of the humans thus are not harmful for humans.

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Mammography machines help analyze breast tissue for possible incidence of cancer and are the choicest tools for guiding breast biopsy procedures. It works by directing a low frequency X-ray through the breast tissue and rendering detailed images for the physician to analyze. The high clarity and definition of these images helps perceive even delicate tissues within the breast. The GE Senographe DMR Mammography Machine is a highly advanced state of the art piece of medical equipment from GE that delivers high performance at affordable costs. GE has been a pioneer in mammography machine manufacturing and over the years has set high industry standards which are rarely matched by competitors.

The machine is very user friendly and has 5 photocells for expansive imaging functionalities in breast placement and digital angulations display. It also provides hands free compression and offers more interaction with the patient by way of vertical height adjustment. The quality of images rendered by a mammography machine is of utmost importance. The high image quality increases the diagnostic capabilities of physicians and the GE Senographe DMR is ahead of the competition in that it delivers high quality images with superb clarity by using dedicated MaxiRay X-ray tube and SharpIQ grid. The MaxiRay bi-metal rhodium or molybdenum tube offers extensive penetration and comes with an inner focusing cone. The high X-ray spectrum provided by these metals penetrates even the densest of breast tissues and reveals details that are obscure in images rendered by other machines.

The unrivalled image quality and magnification provided by this tube sets the machine apart from its competitors. The machine reduces exposure time, which ensures image quality and cuts down dose by 40 percent which allows for examination of dense breasts without reduction in image quality. The anti scatter grid movement is also optimized by the SharpIQ and DMR features which provides high definition images. The machine as with most GE products is consistent and reliable and also ensures automatic optimization of parameters. The digital display, flipping markers and single magnification stand all add to overall design and renders it highly user friendly.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Fetal Monitors, high intensity focused ultrasoud, Medical Equipment, medical imaging, medical supply, obstetrics, portable ultrasound machines, pregnancy, ultrasonic probe, Ultrasound, ultrasound machine, Ultrasound Machines, ultrasound probe, ultrasound technology, ultrasound transducer, Ultrasound Transducers, Used Medical Equipment

Body surface area in medical terms is the measurement of the complete surface area of the human body. It is abbreviated as BSA. For many medical applications, body surface area is a better indicator of the amount of the mass present against the body weight. These surface areas are affected by abnormal adipose mass.

When a cardiac ultrasound procedure is conducted on a patient with aortic stenosis with out the correct calculated body surface area, it can result in misdiagnosis of the seriousness of the patient’s aortic or other cardio condition. It is just common sense that the body surface area calculation of the patient will establish what the correct size for the individual’s aortic valve must be.

At a presentation of the American Society of Echocardiography, the results of a study that was conducted showed the importance of not only considering the size of the aortic valve area when making an assessment of the seriousness of aortic stenosis. Another commonly neglected important factor that contributes to the correctness of the procedure is the body surface area calculation, that plays an integral part when making use of this type of ultrasound technology in a procedure.

This particular study unwrapped the fact that when a corrective procedure with respect to aortic stenosis are not performed with the correct body surface area calculated for the specific individual, the wrong calculated valve area will obviously result in the under diagnosis of the severity of the aortic stenosis condition and will have even more severe results.

BSA is determined by recording a patient’s height and weight with the appropriate medical equipment. There are various types of formulas used for the calculation of the approximate body surface areas. Depending upon some constant scaling factor and the ratios of the height and weight, the surface area of the body is calculated.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Medical Equipment, ultrasound machine

In the world of medical equipment Color Flow Mode (CFM) is also called Color Flow Doppler Imaging (CFD). These are the ultrasonic imaging techniques used for measuring the blood flow through the heart. They display the flow data on the 2-D echocardiography image. The technique is mainly used for determining the congenital, valvular and other forms of disease related to heart.

The color flow mode imaging in the ultrasound machine is based on the Doppler Effect of the acoustics. The Doppler Effect helps to find out the blood flow from different parts of the body. It helps to identify the direction of the flow of blood. Color flow mode imaging is understandable to the common user of ultrasound machines. They avoid the displays of the complex spectral velocity structures.

In the color flow imaging different colors defines the direction of the given jet. The red color and blue colors are taken for defining the direction. The change in the hues from bright to dull depicts the change in the velocities. When there is turbulence in the blood flow a mosaic of colors is formed. Therefore a 2-D display of the blood flow is depicted by the identification of size, velocity and direction.

Red color is used to depict the flow towards the transducer and the blue color is used to depict the flow away from the transducer. Different color references can always be seen in different Doppler Imaging devices. Generally in color flow mode the color bar of black color represents zero flow.

Color flow mode is a very easy and understandable ultrasound technology which enables us to study ultrasonic waves as a means of calculating the blood flow. By making different colors as the codes to measure the flow of blood people can get easily the meaning of the reports generated. These techniques work in the normal hearing range of the humans thus are not harmful for humans.

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

Fetal monitors are used at hospital and medical facilities to monitor fetuses and are also available for domestic or home use. There is a bunch of such products available in the market and one needs to have a good understanding of the common features and specifications commonly available on different models in order to separate the good ones from the bad and to choose the right one, which offers extra features.

The Corometrics 145 fetal monitor from GE was exclusively designed for hospital use and is quite expensive for domestic or home use. It uses ultrasound technology such as continuous external wave Doppler with autocorrelation processing and ultrasonic signals to accurately analyze the health of the fetus based on measured parameters such as heart rate and contractions of the heart as well as uterine activity of a developing baby. The data gathered through such external interference rather than using probes or intrusive devices, can be either printed out or displayed on a digital screen for analysis.

The reason why most fetal monitors are not prescribed for home use is because they are cumbersome to use and requires an understanding of the readings that they generate. They are also quite expensive to procure and are hence most suited to hospitals and clinics.

The operations on the Corometrics 145 ultrasound machine are all exclusively performed using buttons that are easy to use and user friendly. It is often more economical to buy this device online from a medical equipment supplier than to go for a retail purchase. It comes with TOCO and US transduction and provides highly accurate readings and ultrasound FHR tracings.

The printing resolution provided by thermal linear array makes the readings easy to analyze and record. They also offer consistent uterine activity recordings and everything is done using push buttons, which makes the whole process rather simple, and user friendly.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Fetal Monitors, Medical Equipment, ultrasound machine, ultrasound technology

Ultrasound technology has allowed medical practitioners the advantage to examine inner organs of patients without any surgical intrusion into their bodies. Ultrasound machines are most commonly used for examining pregnant women, in order to safely ensure that the pregnancy is proceeding normally and without any complications.

When one really looks at the options that are available when it comes to procuring a good ultrasound machine for your medical facility, the choices narrow down to two manufacturers, GE and Philips. Though these are not the only ultrasound machine manufacturers with the technical advancements necessary to accurately and consistently visualize and determine organ volume measurements, they are the most prolific at least in churning out such equipments.

The Philips IU22 Ultrasound Machine is used for general imaging and has wide clinical application capabilities. It has a multitude of applications in different spheres of anatomical classifications including Cerebrovascular, gynecological and musculoskeletal imaging.

In terms of simplicity, user friendliness, performance and efficiency, the Philips IU22 touches new heights. It has advanced quantification features and the image quality is excellent. It allows for volume imaging and the workstation view ability is similar to that of CT and MR.

Because it renders a 3D view of the image, the more obscure details that are lost in a 2D image are perceivable and hence more critical information can be gathered from each image. The new VL13-5 volume linear array transducer on the iU22 system aids in reviewing volume imaging data for superficial applications in areas such as breast, thyroid, musculoskeletal and vascular.

Studies have shown a marked reduction in examination times due to the use of this medical equipment machine. The percentage of failed ultrasound exams are also substantially less with the use of the Philips IU22. The use of technology such as the pure wave transducer, advanced XRES and tissue aberration correction help to characterize organ features and helps improve treatment planning for breast tumors and such.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: Ultrasound, ultrasound machine, Ultrasound Machines, ultrasound technology

Echocardiogram, also known as ECHO, is an ultrasound of the heart to know its inner workings and to assess the condition of the heart.

It is mostly an initial examination to rule out abnormalities in the heart effectively. In the event of any suspicious activity the patient is further subject to detailed investigations.

Echocardiogram is similar to an ultrasonography, where a patient’s chest is smeared with transparent gel and an ultrasound transducer (sound sensitive device), is placed and moved very slowly over the heart. This instrument sends out high frequency sound waves and receives back an ‘echo’ of these waves as reflected by the heart. These echoes are recorded on a moving sheet of paper by the ultrasound machine, which is interpreted by cardiologists to check the proper functioning of the heart valves. This procedure is also known as Transthoracic echocardiogram, it is essential in initial diagnosis of conditions such as coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease etc.

With recent development in medical equipment, another procedure known as the Transoesophageal Echocardiogram is also used in detailed diagnosis of the condition of the heart. It is a procedure similar to endoscopy consisting of a miniature transducer at the end of a long flexible tube with controls on the other end to guide the probe in through the throat in order to capture clearer images for detailed analysis of the heart.

With this indispensable tool, the ability to obtain 3-dimensional images of the heart using a group of minute transducers probed into the heart cavity is invaluable. With appropriate computer programs, one can view cross sections of the heart as well as make a detailed study of the conditions of the heart and determine its treatment.

This procedure is simple and non-evasive; the patient’s throat will be sprayed with a local anaesthetic to avoid discomfort.

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