Ultrasound

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In 2007, Siemens Medical Solutions plans to introduce what could be the market's smallest handheld ultrasound system. The company selectively demonstrated the palm-sized, Blackberry-like device at the 2006 RSNA meeting, typical treatment for a new product or a work-in-progress.

A British research team is applying a new twist to an old technique for treating ankle injuries in high-performance athletes. The procedure involves use of ultrasound to guide steroid and anesthetic injections and was originally described in the literature a decade ago for treating ankle impingement in ballet dancers.

Radiologists face a choice between relinquishing control of ultrasound for good or reclaiming a modality that could thrive in their hands through the next decade. An indication of which way the specialty is leaning can be gleaned from an October seminar in which luminaries dissected practice trends and applications in use of ultrasound.

Ultrasound could one day play a key role in drug delivery, if researchers can harness the ultrasound beam's cavitation effect, which allows drugs to pass through the protective membranes of cells.

The timing and place were perfect to let a larger audience hear what ultrasound insiders knew all along: Contrast-enhanced sonography could boost targeted biopsy’s power to detect prostate cancer and do away with the need for sextant or saturation-type biopsies, according to a study presented Tuesday at the RSNA meeting.

Business Briefs

Siemens upgrades digital fluoro, radiographyFujiFilm allies with convertible ultrasound firmSchering cuts R&D deal with Stanford

Radiologists perform most diagnostic and minimally invasive interventional musculoskeletal studies in the U.S., with some areas experiencing continuous growth. Data released Wednesday at the RSNA meeting, however, suggest future turf battles between radiologists and surgeons are lurking on the horizon.

Canadian and U.S. radiologists may face different regulatory restrictions when it comes to use of ultrasound contrast, but both agree on one thing: the agents have a positive effect on clinical practice, according to studies presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday.

Use of breast ultrasound and breast MRI in Medicare beneficiaries has been on the rise, but mammography utilization has not kept apace. Following a big boost in the number of mammograms in the late 1990s, growth has slowed in recent years. The reason could be waning awareness of screening programs or possibly a decline in access due to center closures.

Elasticity imaging with ultrasound allows radiologists to accurately distinguish benign from malignant breast lesions, according to a study presented at the RSNA meeting on Monday. Researchers using the technique correctly identified both cancerous and benign lesions in nearly all of the cases studied.

Officials from the American College of Radiology and the American College of Cardiology, along with other interested stakeholders, have published a consensus report defining quality for all cardiovascular imaging modalities. They say that the focus on quality in cardiovascular imaging has been less intense than in other areas of cardiovascular medicine.

Business Briefs

iCAD readies RSNA exhibitsUltraRad offers free offsite archivingSiemens snags $40M dealGE expands alliance with Intermountain

Welcome, robot

We might as well get friendly with robots. They are cropping up left and right. Today’s robots are a far cry from the mid-20th century models with their clanking gears, a head full of flashing electronics, and occasionally flailing arms. Our modern-day Robbys are designed to fit specific tasks, like Roomba and Scoomba, the Frisbee-like contraptions now circling rooms across the nation, sucking dirt from carpets and scrubbing floors. Ah, technology.

Mounting evidence indicates that, far from fading away, ultrasound could retain a role in the triage and follow-up of patients presenting to the emergency room with traumatic abdominal solid organ injury. Prospective data from University of California researchers validate earlier studies showing that contrast-enhanced sonography outperforms conventional sonography and complements CT’s role in this setting.

The FDA has denied a request for over-the-counter sales of handheld Doppler fetoscopes. The American College of Radiology and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, which have aggressively lobbied to stop unwarranted use of ultrasound technology by nonmedical personnel, hailed the decision.