The medical ultrasound field plays an important role in preventive healthcare and diagnostic testing. As a result, the medical ultrasound community has joined forces to educate the public about the importance of medical ultrasound in healthcare.

While most people are familiar with ultrasound use during pregnancy, the general public is generally unaware of how ultrasound is used throughout other stages of life, and with various medical indications.

During the month of October, which is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month, medical ultrasound professionals will plan special activities and educational materials to educate their patients, as well as the public, about how medical ultrasound works. Included in their educational programming will be ultrasound’s use in medical diagnoses, which areas of the body can be imaged with ultrasound, and the terminology related to medical ultrasound testing.

Medical Ultrasound Awareness month will:

* Educate the public about the certification process for those who perform medical ultrasound exams, and help them make informed decisions about their care;
* Inform the public about technological advancements in medical ultrasound over the past 50 years and how they have positively impacted the quality of healthcare;
* Introduce the public to professionals who specialize in this area of medicine, and educate students about potential careers in medical ultrasound; and
* Celebrate the profession of professional ultrasound imaging specialists.

Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month is a joint effort of the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM), the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS), the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU).

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Over the past decade, pregnant women have been bombarded with advertising from “boutique ultrasound” services that promise to provide a “keepsake” ultrasound video of their baby. These commercial businesses, more like photography studios than medical facilities, go far beyond the standard, doctor-administered ultrasound previously offered during pregnancy. In fact, many women have started posting their baby’s ultrasound photos on Facebook and other social networking sites. Today’s photo-realistic images show much more detail than the standard ultrasound image of the past. Ultrasound videos can even facial features, movements and thumb-sucking.

This budding, yet controversial, business sector provides expectant families with photos, videos, and digital images of fetal ultrasounds. High-tech boutique-style ultrasound centers have been gaining popularity across the country, but it is beginning to cause alarm within the medical community. Many obstetricians believe these frequent, non-medical ultrasounds could be potentially harmful to both the mother and fetus.

Connecticut legislators are close to banning ultrasounds for pregnant women unless they are pre-approved for medical or diagnostic reasons. This action is in response to the growing number of “keepsake” ultrasound businesses in the state. While there are no conclusive studies to prove long-term injuries caused by excessive ultrasounds, the bill’s supporters contend that using ultrasounds as a form of “entertainment” is inappropriate and dangerous.

The FDA has also expressed concern about this growing practice, calling it an “unapproved use of medical devices”.

Part of the reason for the growth in commercial ultrasound business is recent improvements in the technology over the past 5-7 years, which have improved the photo quality of the images, but like any other medical procedure, it comes with a certain amount of risk. Most physicians agree; conducting medical procedures outside of a medical setting is never a good idea.

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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.

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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.

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Developed by a Cornell University graduate student, this revolutionary new battery-powered ultrasound device fits snugly in the palm of your hand. Don’t be misled by its diminutive size, this machine has enough brawn to administer medication to brain cancer patients or even to stabilize a gunshot wound.

A third-year Ph.D. student majoring in biomedical engineering, George K. Lewis is credited with creating portable ultrasound machine devices that are not only smaller than today’s standard models but much more powerful as well. Conventional ultrasound machines weigh on average 30 pounds with a price tag of around $20,000. In contrast, this first of its kind device weighs under 5 pounds and can be manufactures at a cost of $100.

From his Olin Hall Laboratory, Lewis works with higher-energy ultrasound that can offer advanced treatment options outside of the range of capabilities demonstrated by traditional ultrasound machines. In addition to the typical ultrasound imaging techniques used in medical settings to generate images through soft tissue, Lewis’ device can be utilized to break up the tissues that form prostate tumors or kidney stones and to aid in the relief of arthritis pressure.

Lewis hopes this equipment will lead to advances in medical technology such as hand held devices that can be carried by military medics to cauterize wounds, or dental machines that would assist the body in metabolizing locally injected anesthetics, allowing for instant absorption. Tests are currently being performed in laboratories to determine whether administering a low dose of hydrogen sulfide to animals can aid in minimizing injuries that occur when their bodies do not receive sufficient blood flow to the tissues. With the use of Lewis’ portable ultrasound machine, doctors are hoping to enable specific areas of the body to be targeted by the hydrogen sulfide, resulting in using decreased amounts and thereby diminishing the risk of toxicity.

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

OIt has long been noted that there are ever expanding uses for ultrasound machine technology in the medical environment. But in the mind of most non-medical people, ultrasound is still associated with obstetrics. The increasingly-less-fuzzy images of a unborn baby still in its mother’s womb are powerful indeed, while the new 3D images are even more so. But the power of ultrasound use in medical practice extends far beyond the obstetrical practice and fuzzy baby picture keepsakes.

Eye surgeons are beginning to use ultrasound machine technology more and more. In the case of trauma to the eye, a way had to be found to obtain an image of the injured eye while minimizing the brain’s exposure to ionizing radiation like x rays or CT scans. Ultrasound meets those requirements nicely and uses no ionizing radiation. Ultrasound machines can also be used to provide guidance when the surgeon must perform delicate procedures in and behind the fragile structures of the eye.

But there a more common use for ultrasound one that eye surgeons have placed at the center of corneal procedures. In corneal surgery, both for vision correction and transplantation, the measurement of the thickness of the cornea has become more and more important. There is even a type of surgery where the cornea is removed and shaped to become a living contact lens.

But all of these options are dependent on one thing: the thickness of the cornea. Measurement of the corneal thickness has a term, pachymetry. Ultrasound technology has become so ingrained with this term that the two are now used together. Ultrasound pachymetry is now what these measurements are called.

A specially designed and sized ultrasound probe is placed in the center of the eye and measures the thickness of the cornea much as the more common ultrasound collects images, with reflected sound waves. In this instance, the software that interprets the waves is a bit simpler.

In fact, other newer methods of pachymetry are being measured against ultrasound pachymetry. It has been, and will remain the gold standard for measurement both before and after eye surgery. One other essential for accurate ultrasound pachymetry is the skill of the technician, an important component of any successful ultrasound procedure.

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Ovarian cancer is a significant woman’s health issue. In the United States alone, more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and more than 15,000 of those women die.

When caught in its early stages and limited to the ovary, however, ovarian cancer can be cured in about 90% of patients. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is seldom diagnosed until it is at an advanced stage. This is because the disease has few symptoms in its earlier stages, and there are no good screening tools. When ovarian cancer is detected at these more advanced stages, the rate of survival drops considerably, with only 20 to 30% of patients surviving.

An ongoing research study, preliminary results of which have just been announced, has found that it is now possible to detect ovarian cancer in its earlier stages—stages 1 and 2 specifically—using the combination of transvaginal ultrasound machine and the CA125 blood test. Preliminary study results are being published in the April issue of The Lancet Oncology.

The United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening is being conducted at University College London, by Ian Jacobs, Usha Menon, and their colleagues. More than 200,000 post-menopausal women, ages 50 to 74, were recruited for the study, which will continue through 2012.

The women were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The control group received no treatment. The second group received screening using both transvaginal ultrasounds combined with the CA125 blood test; this was referred to as multimodal screening. The final group received screening using only transvaginal ultrasound every year. Clinical evaluations and surgery were given to patients who showed consecutive screens with atypical results.

While the transvaginal ultrasound screening alone detected 75 percent of the cases of ovarian cancer, adding the CA125 blood test improved the rate of diagnosis to 90 percent. More importantly, rather than being diagnosed in the later stages, 48 percent of the cases detected were in stage 1. Previously, only 28 percent of the cases of this disease have been detected in stage 1. Using multimodal screening, many women will be able to receive earlier treatment and anticipate improved outcomes. While the researchers could not speak to the effect of multimodal screening on deaths from ovarian cancer at this stage of their research, their results may well represent a significant step forward in this area.

Because transvaginal ultrasound and the CA125 blood test are already in use and approved by the FDA, there will be no lengthy delay to develop new ultrasound machines or new machinery to analyze blood samples. The new screening protocols can be put into use now.

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Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial to minimize invasive treatment and improve outcomes. Unfortunately, women with dense breast tissue have been at a disadvantage when receiving traditional mammography, making it harder for them to receive that all important early diagnosis. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, these women have a five times greater risk of breast cancer. Now a new automated breast ultrasound system, ideally suited for such women, is available from Siemens Healthcare.

Called the Acuson S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS), this new technology is a multi-use ultrasound breast system. It uses user-independent, standardized image acquisition to produce volume images of the breast. A study by the Radiological Society of North American (RSNA) showed a 42 percent improved detection rate of non-palpable, invasive breast cancer when ultrasound followed traditional mammography. It is possible that with improved ultrasound technology, such as that provided by the Acuson S2000 ABVS, the detection rate may improve even more.

Klaus Hambüchen, CEO, Ultrasound at Siemens Healthcare, said, “I am convinced that automatic ultrasound volume imaging with the Acuson S2000 ABVS can make a significant contribution in diagnostic confidence for women with dense breast tissue or inconclusive mammography findings.”

The Acuson S2000 ABVS ultrasound machine provides a complete view of the anatomical, coronal plane of the breast, which includes tissue from the nipple to the breast wall. This is a much more complete view of the entire breast than that available through conventional ultrasound imaging. Additionally, the Acuson S2000 ABVS system completes its examination in less than 15 minutes, considerably less time than the typical 30 minutes for hand-held ultrasound examinations. This will not only prove more convenient and comfortable for the patient, but will also allow the health care facility to provide care to a greater number of patients, increasing profits. The system uses BI-RADS® ultrasound reporting capabilities; the American College of Radiology developed the BI-RADS ultrasound reporting classification for mammography reporting.

Fatty Tissue and eSie Touch elasticity imaging are innovative breast imaging applications also supported by the Acuson S2000 ABVS system. This further improves the ability of clinicians to rely on diagnostic data provided by the system.

One of the largest suppliers of health care technology in the world, Siemens Healthcare Sector provides medical solutions in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.

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Because advances in technology have made ultrasound machines more affordable, a new industry has sprung up: the making of fetal keepsakes. These companies allow parents to purchase a photograph or video of their baby in utero as a keepsake. Companies who own equipment that can produce three-dimensional images are especially popular and sought after. These fetal keepsake images are far different products from the fuzzy snapshots doctors share when they are performing a diagnostic ultrasound. The exposure level is quite different as well: in the case of fetal keepsakes, ultrasound may be used for as long as an hour to capture the desired images.

The FDA considers the use of ultrasound for fetal keepsakes an unapproved use of a prescription medical device. First and foremost, ultrasound is intended to be used for diagnostic purposes. In the hands of a skilled technician working with a medical professional, an ultrasound can provide valuable information about a fetus, including diagnosing abnormalities that can be corrected even before the child is born. Secondly, ultrasound can also used to provide certain medical treatments. At higher levels, ultrasound can be used to help bone fractures heal and to treat sprained muscles. While there is no hard evidence that ultrasound can be harmful to a developing fetus, it makes sense to limit exposure to medically necessary scans.

Seeing your child’s face for the first time is an amazing experience, and since it is possible to see that face before the child is even born, it’s no wonder that some parents want to have that experience as soon as possible. While the risk of a fetal keepsake ultrasound may be minimal, no risk is worth taking unless there’s a potential benefit to be gained that is greater than the risk involved. In the case of seeing a developing face a few months early, the benefit doesn’t outweigh the risk, however small. It’s better to wait until the baby is born for that first real glimpse. After all, if you’re going to be a parent, you might as well start learning patience now.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: care medical, keepsake, medical, pregnancy, Ultrasound