The Diagnostic Imaging ultrasound modality focus page provides information, videos, podcasts, and the latest news about industry product developments, trial results, screening guidelines, and protocol guidance that touch on the use of ultrasound across the healthcare continuum, from cardiovascular, breast, abdominal, neurological imaging, and more, including point-of-care ultrasound.
October 16th 2025
New enhancements for the Venue POCUS devices include automated labeling of anatomical landmarks with Nerveblox to facilitate 12 common peripheral nerve blocks and contrast-enhanced ultrasound geared to abdominal injury assessments.
Ultrasound assesses abdominal trauma during helicopter transport
March 24th 2008Portable ultrasound has successfully imaged patients being transported to the hospital via helicopter, allowing for early assessment of internal abdominal injuries and fluid in the pericardium. The examiners used standard focused assessment by sonography in trauma (FAST) protocols.
Endoscopic ultrasound identifies pancreatic lesions missed by abdominal CT
March 17th 2008Endoscopic ultrasound identified pancreatic lesions when abdominal CT findings showed only enlarged or prominent pancreas. This finding is a common result of CT scans of the pancreas, but its clinical significance is unclear. One group of researchers that followed up such CT scans using endoscopic ultrasound was able to conclusively identify lesions, including pancreatic cancer.
Report from ECR: CT assists in aftermath of terror attacks
March 12th 2008Radiologists are playing a central role in the aftermath of terror attacks in Israel, according to a report at the European Congress of Radiology. CT is now regarded as the primary diagnostic tool in incidents involving multiple casualties, Dr. Ahuva Engel told attendees at the “ESR meets Israel” session.
Doppler ultrasound provides clear diagnosis of tennis elbow
March 10th 2008Neovascularity measured with power Doppler ultrasound can be used to both diagnose and rule out tennis elbow. This approach could improve patient care, as clinicians start their search sooner for less common causes of elbow pain, instead of waiting to see if treatment for tennis elbow resolves the problem.
Ultrasound manufacturers address patient care with product innovations
March 10th 2008One of the world’s smallest portable scanners, a new approach to 3D imaging, an award-winning convertible platform, and a novel method for detecting deep body tumors are among the many ultrasound highlights in the Technical Exhibition at ECR 2008.
CT assists in aftermath of terror attacks
March 10th 2008Radiologists are playing a central role in the aftermath of terror attacks in Israel, delegates heard on Sunday. CT is now regarded as the primary diagnostic tool in incidents involving multiple casualties, Dr. Ahuva Engel told attendees at the “ESR meets Israel” session.
Dutch doctors tout ultrasound for appendicitis in children, caution against CT overuse
March 10th 2008The number of CT scans performed in the pediatric abdomen in the U.S. is high compared with Europe, possibly because doctors fear legal action in the case of a missed pathology or disease. Rather than using CT for appendicitis, many doctors in the Netherlands still prefer to use ultrasound to visualize the swollen, fluid-filled, or normal appendix.
Breast elastography techniques break new ground
March 8th 2008Two new ultrasound elastography techniques show promise for the diagnosis and characterization of breast lesions, according to researchers from France and Korea. They could complement standard gray-scale sonography, evaluate suspicious microcalcifications detected with conventional mammography, and do away with unnecessary, painful needle biopsies.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound improves diagnosis in some liver cancer cases
March 3rd 2008Injected contrast improved liver ultrasound sensitivity and specificity in malignant liver lesions, aiding diagnosis in 13.7% of cases in a French study. Researchers concluded that contrast-enhanced ultrasound should be routine practice when considering surgical management of hepatic lesions.
Lower cost ultrasound beats gold standard in assessment of psoriatic arthritis
February 26th 2008Standard musculoskeletal ultrasound is better than gold standard radiography at detecting overall joint pathology in the hands and feet of patients with psoriatic arthritis. MR imaging showed marginally better sensitivity at detecting joint effusions and synovitis, while radiography detected more erosions in the joints. But the low cost and comparable performance of ultrasound make it a viable tool for assessment of the small joints of patients with psoriatic arthritis.
Sonographer experience translates into fewer unnecessary ovarian tumor surgeries
February 25th 2008Unnecessary surgeries for suspected, but ultimately benign, ovarian tumors could be reduced if ultrasonography is improved, according to a recent report in The Lancet Oncology. The study showed that the number of surgeries for suspected cancers was significantly higher after routine ultrasounds compared with ultrasounds performed by sonographers who have more than 10 years of experience.
Ultrasound predicts spontaneous onset of labor and successful delivery in prolonged pregnancies
February 20th 2008Ultrasound assessment of cervical length in first pregnancies past 41 weeks can serve as an independent predictor of the likelihood of spontaneous labor and successful vaginal delivery. Cervical length was shorter in women who experienced spontaneous onset of labor.
Ultrasound predicts spontaneous onset of labor and successful delivery in prolonged pregnancies
February 19th 2008Ultrasound assessment of cervical length in first pregnancies past 41 weeks can serve as an independent predictor of the likelihood of spontaneous labor and successful vaginal delivery. Cervical length was shorter in women who experienced spontaneous onset of labor.
Microbubble-based scans reach beyond liver
February 15th 2008Ultrasound is the most commonly used abdominal imaging modality. The addition of color and spectral Doppler imaging has been particularly beneficial. When ultrasound findings are nonspecific, however, patients are generally referred to CT or MRI
Echocardiography society issues new guidelines for carotid ultrasound
February 11th 2008The American Society of Echocardiography has issued a new consensus statement for interpreting and responding to results of carotid artery ultrasound. The guidelines set carotid artery wall thickness values greater than the 75th percentile as the threshold for aggressive treatment.
Ultrasound matches MRI and gold standard tests in detecting extent of Crohn’s disease
February 11th 2008Color Doppler flow and sonographic wall thickness are as good as -- and in some cases better than -- contrast MRI for showing the extent of Crohn’s disease. Both ultrasound and MRI match clinical results from barium studies, surgery, and colonoscopy.