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 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.

COVID-19 halted all cancer screening services at the beginning of the pandemic, and slowly those scans have become more and more available -- but, not necessarily for everyone.

In many instances, racial and minority patients continue to face the same healthcare disparities that made it difficult for them to access the services at the outset. Now, the fear and trepidation associated with the pandemic are layered on top. 

Despite these difficulties, there are things healthcare institutions and providers can do to help. In this episode of 

 spoke with Shalmon Kalnicki, M.D., chair of radiation and oncology at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine about the challenges these patients continue to face with cancer screenings. Not only did he share with us how COVID-19 has impacted this existing problem, but he also outlined the steps institutions can take to improve this situation.


In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.

The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19

This is Episode 1 of the Diagnostic Imaging podcast: The Reading Room. To subscribe, click 

High-resolution micro-ultrasound does a better job of pinpointing clinically significant prostate cancer than MRI, said industry experts, and it can do so in a less expensive, simpler way.

According to an article published in the 

 micro-ultrasound is more sensitive to these types of cancers, functioning as a single-session option for prostate screening and targeted biopsy.

“High-resolution micro-ultrasound has the capability of imaging prostate cancer based on detecting alterations in ductal anatomy, analogous to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI),” said lead study author Laurence Klotz, M.D., chair of prostate cancer research at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Canada. “This technology has the potential advantages of relatively low cost, simplicity, and accessibility compared to mpMRI.”

In this study, the team evaluated images from 1,040 men from 11 sites in seven countries who previously underwent mpMRI and also micro-ultrasound-guided biopsy. These biopsies were captured from both mpMRI targets with a PI-RADS score of >3 and micro-ultrasound targets with a PRIMUS >3.

According to their analysis, 39.5 percent of men were diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer, meaning they had a Gleason grade group of greater than or equal to 2. For micro-ultrasound and mpMRI, sensitivity was 94 percent and 90 percent, respectively, and their negative predictive value was 85 percent and 77 percent, respectively. Both strategies had 22-percent specificity, and their positive predictive values were similar – 44 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

Given the higher sensitivity for clinically significant prostate cancer compared to mpMRI and its lower cost and single-session option for prostate screening and targeted biopsy, micro-ultrasound could be an attractive imaging strategy for some patients.

In this podcast, Klotz discussed the use of micro-ultrasound in detecting prostate cancer and the role it could play in supplementing multi-parametric MRI in searching for and more easily identifying the disease.

Dr. Laurence Klotz discusses micro-ultrasound as a faster, less invasive, more cost-effective screening strategy compared to mpMRI in this podcast. 

Micro-Ultrasound for Easier Prostate Cancer Screening

In this podcast, Tom Gentile, president and CEO at GE Healthcare Systems, explains that “the whole focus of imaging is moving beyond the quality of the image.” Patient care, physician productivity and reimbursement take on a renewed focus in light of healthcare reform efforts internationally, he says. Such issues will be the focus for GE Healthcare Systems at RSNA 2011.

, CT using Model Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) technology to reduce dose and improve image quality.

Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography will also be a focus at RSNA 2011 for GE. Gentile talks about the speed and specificity of its newly approved product 

as well as newly mobile ultrasound technology,

, that makes ultrasound “the stethescope of the future.”

In this podcast, Tom Gentile, president and CEO at GE Healthcare Systems, explains that “the whole focus of imaging is moving beyond the quality of the image.” Patient care, physician productivity and reimbursement take on a renewed focus in light of healthcare reform efforts internationally, he says.

Podcast: GE on MBIR, Spectral Mammography, Ultrasound and Themes for RSNA 2011

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"1735","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","id":"media_crop_7567161365917","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"201","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","title":" ","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]Imagine a fast, inexpensive method for breast cancer screening. That’s some of the promise behind a new innovation from a doctoral student who has discovered a way to use ultrasound and advanced algorithms to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors.

, a student at the department of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, researched nonlinear elasticity imaging for breast cancer diagnosis. Here Geonezen and his faculty advisor, Assad Oberai, discuss this innovation and what it could mean for breast cancer diagnosis, as well as diagnosis of other diseases.

Imagine a faster, inexpensive method for breast cancer screening. That’s some of the promise behind a new innovation from doctoral student, Sevan Goenezen, who has discovered a way to use ultrasound and advanced algorithms to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors.

Podcast: Student Innovation Holds Promise for Breast Cancer Screening

Siemens demonstrated Sie-Reality at this year’s RSNA conference. The new ultrasound technology displays fetal images that take on a third dimension when viewed through 3D glasses. Still a work-in-progress, Sie-Reality is designed more for patients than physicians. Ultrasound operators would look at the console, according to Barbara Del Prince, ob/gyn segment marketing manager at Siemens, while patients view a special 3D screen through special glasses. Through this, expectant parents might bond with their unborn child or better understand any fetal abnormalities.

Siemens demonstrated Sie-Reality at this year’s RSNA conference. The new ultrasound technology displays fetal images that take on a third dimension when viewed through 3D glasses.

Siemens showcases stereoscopic 3D ultrasound

Dr. Ellen Mendelson is a co-author on a paper exploring the use of shear wave elastography to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. In an interview with 

, she explains what shear wave elastography is and why it could become a standard element of breast imaging.

Dr. Ellen Mendelson is a co-author on a paper exploring the use of shear wave elastography to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. In an interview with Diagnostic Imaging, she explains what shear wave elastography is and why it could become a standard element of breast imaging.

Shear wave elastography could become standard practice

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.



FDA Clears New Ultrasound Systems from Esaote

Reportedly the only point-of-care ultrasound system that can estimate liver stiffness and attenuation that correlate to MRI-PDFF, Velacur One also may facilitate higher reimbursement than non-imaging elastography.

FDA Clears AI-Guided Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Liver Diseases

Could the NeedleVue LC1 Ultrasound System reinvent real-time ultrasound-assisted needle guidance for interventional procedures? 

FDA Clears Emerging Ultrasound Device for Interventional Procedures

Researchers noted a 78 percent malignancy rate when associated architectural distortion was present on digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with highly suspicious masses or microcalcifications.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Study Assesses Impact of Architectural Distortion on Malignancy Rates

In addition to facilitating centralized scanning for a variety of imaging, the TechLive system may help ease the strain of technologist shortages and broaden access to advanced imaging exams.

FDA Clears Remote Scanning Platform TechLive for MRI, CT, PET/CT and Ultrasound

Welcome to Diagnostic Imaging’s Weekly Scan, which offers an opportunity to catch up on the most well-viewed radiology content of the past week.

 published research revealed that having PSMA PET/CT scans before salvage radiotherapy resulted 

in higher rates of survival and biomechanical recurrence-free survival at one, three and five years

neuroradiologist Tammie Benzinger discussed the utility of low-field MRI

 in facilitating appropriate triage and health equity for patients with suspected Alzheimer’s disease.

In a new digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) study published in the 

78 percent malignancy rate when DBT images showed a combination of architectural distortion with highly suspicious m

Reading Room Podcast on emerging trends in theranostics for prostate cancer

, Jeremie Calais, M.D., Ph.D., discussed the potential of alpha-emitting therapies. Here is a clip from the podcast.

510(k) clearance for the NeedleVue LC1 ultrasound system

. While traditional ultrasound guidance for interventional procedures can be thwarted by complex calibration and reduced sensitivity, the multidirectional design with the NeedleVue LC1 Ultrasound System reportedly allows high-fidelity tracking from a variety of orientations.

Diagnostic Imaging's Weekly Scan is your chance to catch up on the latest radiology content, from new research and device news to the latest interviews with key opinion leaders in the field of radiology.

Diagnostic Imaging's Weekly Scan: August 11 — August 17 (Video Version)

Catch up on the latest news, research and insights in radiology with our Weekly Scan.

While Marfan syndrome is a clinical diagnosis, Alan C. Braverman, M.D., FACC, noted in a recent interview that radiologists play an “invaluable” role in facilitating early diagnosis of this genetic aortic condition.

“They can be the first to put the words into a clinician's mind that this condition that they're seeing on imaging could be something much more,” emphasized Dr. Braverman, the director of the Marfan Syndrome and Aortopathy Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.

“When there are combinations of findings — root aneurysm, tortuous arteries, mitral valve prolapse — when these features are seen on an imaging study, not just reporting them in diameters accurately, but also suggesting the possibility of something more, like Marfan syndrome or some genetic aortic condition when unexplained in a young person, in particular, can be so helpful to the clinician. It's invaluable.”

For patients with Marfan syndrome, Dr. Braverman emphasized complete assessment of the proximal aorta. Noting that an enlarged aortic root is common in this patient population, Dr. Braverman said the diameter of the aortic root generally exceeds 40 millimeters in younger male patients and 37 millimeters in younger female patients.

While these findings can be visualized very well on echocardiogram, cross-sectional imaging with computed tomography angiography (CTA) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) are recommended for initial diagnosis in adult patients and can aid in differentiating between Marfan syndrome and other conditions, such as Loeys-Dietz syndrome, noted Dr. Braverman, a professor of medicine and alumni endowed professor of cardiovascular diseases at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “

Improving Adherence to Best Practices for Incidental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms on CT and MRI

Emerging ECG-Based AI Screening Software for Aortic Valve Stenosis Gets FDA’s Breakthrough Device Designation

Cardiac Ultrasound Update: FDA Clears Software with 45 Automated Parameters for Echocardiographic Analysis

For more insights from Dr. Braverman, watch the video below.

Alan Braverman, MD, discusses the role of radiologists in facilitating the timely diagnosis of Marfan syndrome.

Pertinent Insights into the Imaging of Patients with Marfan Syndrome

Emphasizing the role of radiologists in facilitating timely diagnosis of Marfan syndrome, Alan Braverman, M.D. discussed the use of echocardiography, CT, and MRI in evaluating patients with this genetic aortic condition.

New research shows that non-physician practitioner (NPP) image interpretation in office settings grew by more than nine percent annually over the course of a decade for ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and increased by more than seven percent annually for nuclear medicine interpretation.

In a recent interview, study co-author Richard Duszak, MD, shared his perspective on the increases in NPP image interpretation reported in the study, which was recently published in the 

Journal of the American College of Radiology

“The compound growth rate here is pretty staggering: 9 percent per year for X-ray, ultrasound, CT, and MR with (nuclear medicine) not far behind at 7 percent. They’re all growing at a relatively similar rate,” noted Dr. Duszak, a professor and chair of the Department of Radiology, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

“It's only about 5.5 percent of all the nurse practitioners and (physician assistants) that we were able to identify (via) Medicare claims (data) that are doing this, but they are empowered, perhaps emboldened, to say, ‘I can look at an ankle X ray, therefore, I'm going to look at a brain CT scan.’ From somebody who spent an extensive amount of time in medical school, in residency, going through board certification, to have folks come out of nurse practitioner school with essentially no training in imaging — which is what the data from nurse practitioner training program literature says — (and attempt to interpret images) is a bit scary.”

The Rise of NPP Image Interpretation: What New Radiology Research Reveals

Current Perspectives on Radiology Workforce Issues and Potential Solutions

Emergency Department Radiology: Study Shows Higher Imaging Orders by NPPs

Dr. Duszak said there was considerable state by state variation with the NPP image interpretation rates. For example, Dr. Duszak explained that the probability of having an office-based NPP interpret imaging in Alaska is approximately 20 percent and noted this would have been closer to zero percent when he was in residency training. He noted the importance of identifying causes behind these trends in outlier states and emphasizing targeted advocacy and education.

“This is an exponential curve. It really is a potential game changer with regard to what's happening in the workforce and in the marketplace. I think (this) really requires a lot more attention, not just from researchers, but from policy makers as well,” emphasizes Dr. Duszak, a member of the Board of Chancellors for the American College of Radiology.

For more insights from Dr. Duszak, watch the video below.

Richard Duszak, MD discusses new study findings that show significant annual increases in CT, MRI and ultrasound interpretation by office-based non-physician practitioners.

Radiology Study Finds Increasing Rates of Non-Physician Practitioner Image Interpretation in Office Settings

In a recent interview, Richard Duszak, MD, discussed new study findings that showed over nine percent annual increases in ultrasound, CT and MRI interpretation by office-based non-physician practitioners (NPPs) between 2013 and 2022.

While the final rule for the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) with respect to a national standard for breast density notification on mammography reports was issued in March 2023, implementation has been a significant undertaking.

“For states that did not have a breast density law before, I think this is a very heavy lift,” noted Stamatia Destounis, M.D., FACR, FSBI, FAIUM, a breast imaging specialist with Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, N.Y., and chair of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Breast Imaging Commission.

Noting that breast density notification has been the law since January 2013 in New York, Dr. Destounis emphasized the importance of ongoing education for staff, patients and referring physicians. She recalled it taking about three to four years before physicians started asking questions about breast density.

In anticipation of the nationwide standard for breast density notification going into effect on September 10, 2024, Dr. Destounis said her facility revamped their website and emphasized social media to spread the word to patients. Accordingly, she has seen an “uptick of calls and appointments” for patients seeking genetic counseling at her facility, which has led to increased supplemental breast MRI screening.

“Many go ahead and schedule their supplemental screening with their mammogram,” added Dr. Destounis.

In order to accommodate the increased imaging volume. Dr. Destounis said her facility has hired more staff, expanded hours during the week and added weekend hours as well.

While the ongoing educational, logistical, and staffing challenges can be onerous, Dr. Destounis emphasized that every week, she is seeing cases of small invasive breast cancers on ultrasound and linear ductal enhancement on breast MRI that cannot be found on standard mammography.

Current Insights on National Breast Density Notification for Mammography Reports

Looking at Next Steps to Reinforce National Breast Density Notification

Long-Term Study Shows Merits of Contrast-Enhanced Mammography for Women with Higher Breast Cancer Risk

For more insights from Dr. Destounis, watch the video below.

In a recent interview, Stamatia Destounis, MD, discussed the impact of national breast density notification for mammography reports.

Addressing the Early Impact of National Breast Density Notification for Mammography Reports

In a recent interview, Stamatia Destounis, M.D., discussed the impact of national breast density notification for mammography reports and key considerations with staffing and ongoing education for patients, staff and referring providers on the merits of supplemental breast imaging.

Stacy Smith-Foley, M.D., was pleased to see the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) realign with the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) in recommending mammography screening to begin at 40 years of age for women of average risk for breast cancer.

However, in a recent interview, Dr. Smith-Foley expressed disappointment with the 

USPSTF’s lack of support for supplemental imaging in women with dense breasts and continued mammography screening for women 75 and older

, as well as the emphasis on biennial mammography screening for women 40 to 74 years of age.

Yearly mammography screening gives women the best chance for early breast cancer detection, emphasized Dr. Smith-Foley, the medical director of the Breast Center at the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI) in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“When women skip their mammogram intentionally or unintentionally, … we tend to find more advanced disease. The breast cancer is larger, it is more extensive, it is more often a higher grade and more frequently involves the axilla with local regional metastasis. What I see in clinical practice is that when we have these gaps or delays (with mammography screening), the disease is more extensive,” explained Dr. Smith-Foley.

Biennial Mammography Over Annual Mammography? USPSTF Issues Updated Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

Mammography Study Shows Link Between Enlarged Axillary Lymph Nodes and Higher Risks for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Breast MRI and Dense Breasts: A Closer Look at Early Findings from a New Prospective Trial

Dr. Smith-Foley also disagrees with the USPSTF’s assertion of insufficient evidence to continue annual mammography screening in women 75 and older.

“I have a whole collection of patients under my care in their 80s and 90s who presented to me with locally advanced breast cancer that would have been detected at an earlier stage if they had been participating in yearly screens,” maintained Dr. Smith-Foley.

For more insights from Dr. Smith-Foley, watch the video below.

Stacy Smith-Foley, MD discusses shortcomings with the recently updated USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations.

Where the USPSTF Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Fall Short: An Interview with Stacy Smith-Foley, MD

In a recent interview, Stacy Smith-Foley, M.D., shared her perspective on the shortcomings of the recently issued breast cancer screening recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Overtreatment of patients with prostate cancer has been a significant issue and may have impacted between one to two million men with the disease, suggested Steven Raman, M.D., in a recent interview.

However, the emergence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) appears to be a promising option for men with intermediate risk 

, a treatment that has a more favorable side effect profile than surgery and radiation, according to Dr. Raman, a professor of radiology, urology and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

In research presented at the recent Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) conference, Dr. Raman noted the use of MRI-guided TULSA led to a 92 percent reduction in median prostate volume (from 37.3 ml to 2.8 ml) and a 48 percent reduction in the presence of Gleason Grade (GG) 2 PCa at one year.

At five years after treatment with MRI-guided TULSA, Dr. Raman and colleagues found that 87 percent of patients had preserved erectile function and 92 percent had recovered pad-free continence.

Dr. Raman says the use of MRI guidance and thermometry are more advantageous than prior ultrasound monitoring of thermal ultrasound treatments and key to the success of the TULSA procedure.

“What I don’t like about (ultrasound monitoring) is you don’t know how hot (it is) getting and where exactly you are treating. With MRI, thermometry is an important tool. MRI images the entire prostate as you’re treating it and while you’re treating it, you’re seeing how hot things get in the prostate and outside the prostate,” explained Dr. Raman. “This is an important safety tool to minimize damage to the nerve, the sphincter, and other things, and that results in much better outcomes.”

Emerging Insights on MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation for Prostate Cancer

Can MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation Have an Impact for Localized Prostate Cancer?

Can MRI Findings Help Predict Toxicity After Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer?

For more insights from Dr. Raman, watch the video below.

In a recent interview, Steven Raman, M.D., discussed MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound (TULSA) in the treatment of intermediate risk prostate cancer. 

A Closer Look at MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation for Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer

In a recent interview, Steven Raman, M.D., discussed the use of MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound (TULSA) in the treatment of intermediate risk prostate cancer and key research findings with one- and five-year outcomes. 

Eric Secemsky, M.D. says there can be a fair amount of assumptions and guesswork with sole reliance on angiography to inform peripheral vascular interventions.

For example, an angiogram provides “a very poor understanding” of a significant amount of pathology that occurs on the luminal surface of the vessel, noted Dr. Secemsky in a recent interview. He maintained that intravascular ultrasound can provide greater clarity on this pathology as well as lesion severity and morphology, vessel measurements and where disease segments begin and end.

“These are just a few of the many areas where intravascular imaging catheters can really help augment and support angiography,” noted Dr. Secemsky, the director of vascular intervention and section head of interventional cardiology and vascular research with the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

To that end, Dr. Secemsky recently led a multidisciplinary roundtable discussion, comprised of interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists, and vascular surgeons, to discuss 

emerging evidence on the use of intravascular ultrasound

 to bolster decision-making and help improve outcomes for peripheral vascular interventions in the lower extremity.

In a recent interview, Eric Secemsky, M.D., discussed an array of benefits for the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in supplementing angiography for peripheral vascular interventions, current barriers preventing more widespread adoption of the technology and other salient insights from a recent multidisciplinary roundtable discussion.

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