Ultrasound

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women. The risk of breast cancer typically increases with age in most countries.

Recent news coverage makes it seem as if women at high risk for breast cancer are refusing breast MRI screening left and right. That’s simply not the case, according to several experts.

Ultrasound elastography may be the link bridging the gap between suspicion and definitive proof, a noninvasive means to distinguish between benign and malignant tissue. The technology for doing so appeared some years ago at the annual meeting of the RSNA as an experimental curiosity. It’s been evolving since then until it appears now to have reached a clinical tipping point.

Though generally deemed safe, high-intensity focused-ultrasound ablation of liver and pancreas cancers can lead to delayed complications. According to Korean researchers, practitioners should be aware of-and watch closely for-local and systemic post-HIFU side effects several years down the road.

New ideas take time to catch on in medical imaging, whether they are brand new modalities, such as MR, or new techniques within an established modality, such as color Doppler ultrasound. It’s as though there are dues to be paid. Elastography appears to have paid its dues.

For many years, ultrasound has had a defined and very limited role in breast evaluations, being used for neither diagnosis nor detection.

Breast cancer detection rates increase substantially when women at high risk and those with dense breasts undergo mammography and ultrasound annually, according to a study presented Wednesday at the 2009 RSNA meeting. MRI is an even more effective technique when used with mammography, but only for women who are at high risk for the condition.

In an ironic twist for radiology, effective imaging of skin cancers has just been accomplished by none other than the imaging modality in closest contact with the skin: ultrasound.

Targeted breast ultrasound is less invasive and expensive than biopsy, as well as reduces anxiety over breast cancer screening.

SuperSonic Imagine returned to the RSNA exhibit floor with FDA clearance to market its Aixplorer ultrasound system in the U.S.

Ultrasound elastography could be an effective means of reducing unnecessary breast biopsy, according to an ongoing study presented Monday at the 2009 RSNA meeting.

GE Healthcare unveiled at RSNA 2009 a software technique that uses low-frequency sound waves in combination with MRI to measure the elasticity of liver tissue as an indicator of disease.

Despite challenges, ultrasound remains useful in obese trauma patients. Using the lowest frequency ultrasound probe along with tissue harmonic imaging improves image quality, according to an education exhibit presented at RSNA 2009.

Researchers in Germany and the Netherlands have discovered ultrasound- based patterns that can accurately diagnose the presence and stage of metastases in patients with melanoma.

Hand-carried ultrasound vendor SonoSite expanded its SonoAccess iPhone application to include resource materials for musculoskeletal specialties.

Miniaturization gives portable units functions once available only in cart-based systems.

An economical ultrasound system has joined the Aplio family at Toshiba America Medical Systems.

Researchers in Germany and the Netherlands have discovered ultrasound-based patterns that can accurately diagnose the presence and stage of metastases in patients with melanoma.

Revenues dropped 13% to $53.6 million for SonoSite in the third quarter compared with the year earlier period.

The Logiq E9 Agile ultrasound system from GE Healthcare has a new complement of seven transducers and software improvements addressing cardiac, vascular and pediatric applications.

Most radiologists may not consider spending 20 minutes a day socializing with patients as time well spent, but Dr. Harvey Neiman, executive director of the American College of Radiology, considers it a crucial investment for the profession’s survival.

GE Healthcare this week unveiled a prototype of its pocket-sized ultrasound Vscan.

GE Healthcare will pay SonoSite $21 million for a perpetual nontransferable worldwide license to a family of ultrasound patents addressing hand-carried ultrasound scanners, according to the Bothell, WA-based developer of these systems.

From the Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation & Fibroid ReliefA new research center for MR-guided focused ultrasound ablation at the University of Virginia is aiming to become a leader in translational and clinical research for emerging interventional procedures.

The FDA has given SonoSite the go-ahead to begin marketing its new NanoMaxx ultrasound system. The company said U.S. customer deliveries will begin shipping immediately.

Findings of a South Korean study suggest ultrasound is an effective way to monitor lymph node recurrence after breast cancer surgery.

Hand-carried ultrasound pioneer SonoSite has unveiled a suite of tools designed to streamline the management of ultrasound exams at the departmental level.

A large, multicenter clinical trial involving several imaging modalities has found that plaque burden and plaques involving small lumen area are as likely as classically defined vulnerable plaques to trigger a myocardial infarction.

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