Press Articles

February 10, 2012 -- AuntMinnie.com presents the third in a series of columns on the practice of ultrasound from Dr. Jason Birnholz, one of the pioneers of this modality.

Fellow UltraSounder,

The Eugene P. Pendergrass New Horizons lecture at the last RSNA conference proved once again to be dazzling and awe-inspiring for clinical imagers. Dr. Gregory Sorensen shared how the latest forms of data processing and image display for CT, MR, and PET of the brain make it possible to go beyond visualizing pathology into revealing the basic mechanisms of disease states.

To read the full article  auntminnie

In the history of ultrasound, many innovations have been developed since its establishment as a medical imaging modality in the 1960s, roughly one or two per decade.1 From its real time imaging capability through mechanical scanning in the 1960s, to multichannel electronic transducer array in the 1970s and flow analysis through Doppler modes (color flow imaging [CFI], pulse wave Doppler [PD]) in the 1980s, all innovations have been triggered by the introduction of a new technology. For example, real time imaging was triggered by microprocessors development and Doppler modes were prompted by digital signal processing chips with enough dynamics to detect, at the same time, very weak blood signal and strong tissue echoes. In the first decade of the twenty first century, technology moved towards extensive miniaturization leading to the
introduction of high performances portable devices. Portable devices have created new markets for ultrasound and are the primary sources of market growth in the industry. If miniaturization can be considered as a global trend of the ultrasound industry in the last two decades, no significant innovations have been introduced in the ultrasound arena since the advent of Doppler modes in the 1980s.

Read the full article in Radiology Management.

Liver fibrosis is a common consequence of all chronic liver diseases; cirrhosis can result from the evolution of liver fibrosis and is an important endpoint in patient management. Currently, liver biopsy is the standard diagnostic tool used to estimate the advancement of liver fibrosis. Unfortunately, this invasive method gives a limited sample of the liver and is associated with a non-negligible morbidity rate [1]. In order to repeatedly evaluate liver fibrosis during patient monitoring, non-invasive techniques such as elastography have been developed.

Full article available on Medical Imaging Europe issue, July 2011.

Significant additional information to the ultrasound diagnostic process is being added through a new multi-wave ultrasound technology. This technology is being used to provide not only informative morphological B-mode images but also true tissue elasticity information, through a complementary imaging tool known as shear wave Shear wave vs. strain.

Read the full article on DOTMed.

By Olga Deshchenko.

Ultrasound technology seems to be having its day. Today, the popular imaging modality can be found throughout the hospital as an important tool for a number of procedures. At a time when hospitals are looking to curb spending, new applications for ultrasound are being investigated as an alternative to pricier modalities. As a noninvasive, non-ionizing and cost-effective technology with a wide range of possible uses, ultrasound is here to stay and thrive. The ultrasound market is projected to grow to more than $5.3 billion by 2016, according to a report by Marketstrat, Inc., a California-based company specializing in medical research. Key topics at the recent annual convention for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) included miniaturization, improvement in image quality, fusion of modalities, 3D capabilities and elastography.

To read the full article on DOTMed.