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.
August 22nd 2025
The MyLab A50 and MyLab A70 ultrasound platforms reportedly enable a variety of detailed and multiparametric evaluations, including assessments for liver elastography and strain analysis echocardiography.
Study rings alarm bell on ultrasound exposure risks
August 24th 2006Physicians should continue to be prudent about the use of ultrasound and perform the study only when medically necessary and when benefits outweigh risk, according to the American College of Radiology. The advice comes in the wake of recent findings by Yale researchers that link prenatal ultrasound exposure to brain damage.
Getting into the fetal position
August 18th 2006One of the first stories I wrote for Diagnostic Imaging magazine made a lot of radiologists unhappy. It was about sonographers who were not only performing echocardiograms in private offices but also providing interpretations. One of these techs told me she had to because she knew more about it than the cardiologist. That was 24 years ago.
Getting into the fetal position
August 18th 2006One of the first stories I wrote for Diagnostic Imaging magazine made a lot of radiologists unhappy. It was about sonographers who were not only performing echocardiograms in private offices but also providing interpretations. One of these techs told me she had to because she knew more about it than the cardiologist. That was 24 years ago.
Elastography undergoes review for prostate cancer detection
August 1st 2006Elastography is attracting growing attention in prostate imaging. The term refers to the measurement of the elastic properties of tissues, based on the well-established principle that malignant tissue is harder than benign tissue. A color classification system registers tissue as benign (green) or malignant (blue).
Echocardiography spots pediatric hypertension
August 1st 2006Echocardiography has unearthed links among morbid pediatric obesity, sleep disorders, and potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension, according to a study presented at the 2006 American Society of Echocardiography meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
Defense R&D supports ultrasound cuff to stem bleeding
July 21st 2006The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed specifications for an ultrasound scanner tailored for the battlefield: one that searches for internal bleeding, targets the source, and then increases the beam intensity to coagulate the wound. The agency has tapped Philips Medical Systems to build it.
Contrast ultrasound vies with CT in abdominal trauma
July 20th 2006Contrast-enhanced sonography could be just as good as CT to detect solid organ injuries in patients with blunt abdominal trauma, even in the absence of free intraperitoneal fluid. Data from Italian researchers suggest that CE ultrasound could reduce the need for abdominal CT in emergency radiology.
Boston Scientific builds intravascular ultrasound into labs
July 18th 2006If the future of ultrasound is integration, the industry drew a step closer this week with the global launch of Boston Scientific Lab’s intravascular ultrasound system. The product, billed as the first of its kind, can be installed directly into a cardiac cath lab or radiology suite, allowing doctors to incorporate IVUS technology into their daily workflow, visualizing the heart as well as coronary and peripheral vasculature.
Imaging industry on track for breakout year
July 17th 2006Radiological device vendors reached a record high for midyear clearances by the FDA in June, scoring 34 premarket notifications, raising this year’s tally to 168. The industry has come close to this midyear high only once since DI SCAN began tracking FDA clearances in 2004, when 159 devices were favorably reviewed.
Big future for little ultrasound
July 11th 2006Think back to when you were little, really little, and everything was big. Remember reaching up to the sink and wondering how you’d ever wash your hands? It is one of those defining visions that surfaces every now and then in my mind: looking up at this big box with the sink atop it. Then, as time went on, the sink got smaller, and I remember wondering, “How is it doing that?” Ultrasound appears headed on a similar path.
California ultrasound law implements Cruise control
July 1st 2006The California State Assembly has passed a bill that would restrict sales of ultrasound machines to medical professionals. The move follows public safety concerns raised by actor Tom Cruise's purchase of ultrasound equipment to perform exams on his pregnant fiancee in November 2005.
Elastography monitors ablation therapy progress
July 1st 2006Ultrasound elastography is being proposed as a way to guide and monitor ablation therapy. Researchers say elastography could help ultrasound overcome limitations in this setting, and increase its visibility among other imaging modalities used for guidance.
Residents who perform night sonography need more training
July 1st 2006Using radiology residents to make up for the shortage of qualified sonographers could undermine medical education and compromise patient care, though some professors consider the nightshift duties essential learning experience. The findings of a Stanford University survey suggest teaching hospitals should reinforce training for residents if they are to perform after-hours ultrasound scanning.
Radiologists make moves to reclaim prostate imaging
July 1st 2006Prostate imaging can be a lonely, thankless line of work for radiologists. Specialists are scarce, and urologists have the upper hand. Cancer screening is controversial, and imaging research has yielded a mixed bag of results. Nevertheless, prostate guru Dr. Ethan Halpern is bullish about the future.