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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

Previously cleared for liver tumor ablation therapy, the BioTraceIO360 ultrasound software reportedly bolsters pre-procedure planning with ablation zones.

FDA Expands Clearance of Ultrasound-Based Software for Percutaneous Soft Tissue Ablation in the Kidney

For masses interpreted as BI-RADS category 4 and 5 presentations on breast ultrasound, the authors of a new study found that the presence of echogenic rind had an 81 to 85 percent specificity for malignancy.

Echogenic Rind on Breast Ultrasound Associated with High Specificity for Malignancy

Findings from a multivariable analysis revealed that increased pulse wave velocity-end of systole (PWV-ES), assessed with ultrafast ultrasound, was associated with more than double the cardiovascular risk in young individuals with no major cardiovascular risk factors.

Ultrafast Ultrasound Study Shows Link Between Carotid Stiffening and Cardiovascular Risks in Younger Populations

The Voluson Performance 18 and 16 ultrasound devices reportedly combine enhanced imaging capabilities with AI-enabled efficiencies.



GE HealthCare Launches AI-Powered Voluson Performance 18 and 16 Ultrasound Systems

The AI-powered cardiovascular ultrasound device reportedly offers enhanced spatial and contrast resolution as well as bolstered 4D imaging that enables improved evaluation of cardiac function for a wide range of patients.

GE HealthCare Launches Vivid Pioneer Ultrasound Platform at ESC Conference

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

In a new study, published earlier this week in the 

, researchers found that women, subspecialists and radiologists in non-academic settings had 

over a 25 percent higher attrition rate in radiology

 in comparison to men, general radiologists and academic radiologists over an eight-year period.

In a new study recently presented at the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), researchers found that for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, switching from oral therapies to subcutaneous monthly administration of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody ofatumumab led to over 

a 98 percent reduction of Gd+ T1 lesions on MRI at 96 weeks

In comparison to false positives with unassisted radiologist interpretations of DBT exams, 

AI-only false positive assessments were associated with a significantly higher total of false-positive findings

 as well as a 33 percent lower frequency of dense breasts, according to a new study of nearly 3,000 women who had screening DBT exams.

, researchers showed markedly higher sensitivity rates with the use of 

adjunctive AI for ischemic stroke detection on non-contrast CT exams

 but also noted a high degree of bias and lack of external validation in many of the studies.

, Partho Sengupta, M.D., and Davinder Ramsingh, Ph.D., discussed recent research demonstrating the capability of 

point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to facilitate reduced length of stay and significant cost savings

 in the management of patients with dyspnea.

Catch up on the top radiology content of the past week.

Diagnostic Imaging’s Weekly Scan: September 28 — October 4

Diagnostic Imaging's Weekly Scan: September 28 — October 4

For patients with undifferentiated dyspnea, cardiopulmonary point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may have a considerable impact in reducing length of stay and hospitalization costs, according to recent research.

Assessing the implementation of cardiopulmonary POCUS (Butterfly iQ3) in a cohort of 208 patients (median age of 71) with undifferentiated dyspnea, the authors of a new study published in 

 found over a three-day reduction in expected length of stay (LOS) in comparison to a control group (8.3 mean LOS days vs.11.9 mean LOS days).

, Partho Sengupta, M.D., said cardiopulmonary POCUS helped rule out significant cardiovascular causes of dyspnea in a “high number of instances,” obviating the need for additional tests and longer hospital stays. Cardiopulmonary POCUS also enabled hospitalists to detect a wide variety of conditions, ranging from left ventricular dysfunction to pulmonary edema, and facilitate changes in treatment plans, according to Dr. Sengupta.

“(In) 30 percent of cases, (cardiopulmonary POCUS) contributed to a major change in how the patients were managed,” pointed out Dr. Sengupta, a Henry Rutgers Professor of Cardiology and chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hypertension at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.

Cumulative analysis from the study revealed that cardiopulmonary POCUS was associated with a 246 hospital bed day reduction as well as $751,573 in cost savings.

“ … That was a cumulative impact on the length of the stay and also on the hospital cost, which is huge. Imagine if you multiply that, there's so many patients. … (Usually, there is) increased cost when you introduce a new technology. (This is) one of the rare ones where you reduce the cost and length of stay, which is very exciting,” added Dr. Sengupta.

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

POCUS Improves Diagnostic Certainty for Dyspnea Patients, ACP Says

Portable Imaging and Radiology: Where Things Stand with Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Fujifilm Sonosite Unveils High-Frequency Transducer for Point-of-Care Ultrasound

For more insights from Dr. Sengupta and Davinder Ramsingh, Ph.D., the vice president of clinical research and development for Butterfly Network, watch the video below.

In a recent interview, Partho Sengupta, M.D., and Davinder Ramsingh, Ph.D., discussed recent research demonstrating the capability of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to facilitate reduced length of stay and significant cost savings in the management of patients with dyspnea.

Can Cardiopulmonary POCUS Enhance Detection and Management of Undifferentiated Dyspnea?

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.

In light of emerging research suggesting an 

increased incidence of breast cancer among women under the age of 40

, Drs. Jean Seely, MD, Zeeshan Shah, MD and Amy Patel, MD, discussed what they’re seeing in practice and emphasized increased vigilance to facilitate early detection.

In a new retrospective study published earlier this week in the 

the impact of radiation exposure from medical imaging

 in a cohort of over 3.7 million children. They estimated that radiation exposure from imaging may be associated with 10.1 percent of hematologic cancers in this patient population.

, Drs. Noa Antonissen and Colin Jacobs discussed new research suggesting that a CT-based deep learning model may facilitate 

a nearly 40 percent reduction in false positives with indeterminate lung nodules

Multiple nuclear medicine societies, including the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, unveiled 

guidelines this week for PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI)

. Check out our takeaways from the new recommendations on appropriate protocols and keys for interpretation of PET MPI.

In a new breast ultrasound study focusing on BI-RADS category 4 and 5 mass presentations, researchers noted that the 

 had an 81 to 85 percent specificity for malignancy.

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 conference reports.

Diagnostic Imaging's Weekly Scan: September 14 — September 20

It has been estimated that up to 50 percent of those who have acute dissection in the ascending aorta may die before they get to the hospital. However, for those who survive hospitalization for acute aortic dissection, Alan Braverman, M.D., noted that 90 percent are “alive and well” one year later.

, Dr. Braverman emphasized that the knowledge of common risk factors in concert with imaging findings may facilitate earlier diagnosis of aortic dissection.

In addition to a family history of aortic diseases and genetic conditions, such as Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome, hypertension is another common risk factor for the development of aortic dissection, according to Dr. Braverman, the head of general cardiology with the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“About 75 percent of people with an aortic dissection have underlying hypertension and, importantly, they don't have to have severe, uncontrolled hypertension. Just the presence of hypertension, even when controlled, can be a risk factor because it can affect the architecture of the aorta,” pointed out Dr. Braverman.

While noting the limitations of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and chest X-ray, Dr. Braverman said they can serve as useful screening tools for triggering subsequent imaging.

“Sometimes the shadow of the aorta in the mediastinum around the heart will be enlarged because the aorta has stretched because of the dissection, or there'll be other evidence on a chest X-ray that heighten your suspicion,” noted Dr. Braverman.

However, Dr. Braverman said computed tomography (CT) provides a highly sensitive gold standard.

“A contrast CT scan, especially when it's gated so it doesn't have a lot of motion artifacts, has at least 95 to 98 percent ability to detect an aortic dissection, so that is the most commonly performed test,” added Dr. Braverman.

Pertinent Insights into the Imaging of Patients with Marfan Syndrome

Image IQ Quiz: Middle-Aged Female with Chest Pain, Back Pain and Shortness of Breath

AI-Powered Algorithm May Enhance CT Assessment of Aortic Dissection

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

In a recent interview, Alan Braverman, M.D., discussed challenges with the detection of aortic dissection, reviewed pertinent risk factors and offered insights on imaging that may facilitate earlier diagnosis of the life-threatening condition. 

Keys to Detecting Aortic Dissection: An Interview with Alan Braverman, MD

While there has been a fair amount of hype about whole-body MRI, a 

 found the modality had a pooled cancer detection rate of 1.57 percent in asymptomatic individuals. The meta-analysis authors also noted that many of the reviewed studies had incomplete data with respect to follow-up and diagnostic outcomes.

While maintaining that artificial intelligence (AI) for breast imaging is at an “infancy” stage, Zeeshan Shah, M.D., noted in a recent 

a pathway where AI has increased capability of pinpointing negative mammography exams

, enabling radiologists to spend significantly more time on cases that are more ambiguous and concerning.

In other breast imaging news, a new study published in the 

 compared AI software to radiologist interpretation for digital mammography (DM) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). The researchers found that 

AI offered comparable negative predictive value (NPV) but significantly higher recall rates and false positive results as well

In a cohort of over 8,700 current and former smokers, the authors of a new study in 

found that coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring derived from non-gated low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans demonstrated significant capability for 

predicting long-term cardiovascular disease mortality up to 25 years

, pediatric cardiologist Takeshi Tsuda discussed 

integrated wall stress, a product of peak systolic wall stress (PS-WS) calculated with M-mode echocardiography as well as heart rate

. Citing recently published research, Dr. Tsuda said integrated wall stress could be a key marker of pre-clinical cardiomyopathy in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Diagnostic Imaging’s Weekly Scan: August 31 — September 6

Diagnostic Imaging's Weekly Scan: August 31 — September 6

Could an emerging echocardiographic marker lead to earlier detection of cardiomyopathy in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)?

In a new study, recently published in the 

Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease

, researchers assessed whether increased integrated wall stress (IWS), as a marker of total left ventricular workload, could indicate pre-clinical cardiomyopathy in patients with DMD.

The study authors determined that IWS — a product of peak systolic wall stress (PS-WS) calculated with M-mode echocardiography as well as heart rate — was significantly elevated in a DMD-A cohort (DMD patients with left ventricular shortening fraction (LVSF) 

 30 percent) in comparison to a control cohort and even higher in patients with DMD-B (those with DMD and LVSF < 30 percent).

While cardiomyopathy is a common dilemma, lead study author Takeshi Tsuda, M.D., maintained in a recent interview with 

 that there is a distinct difference with DMD cardiomyopathy and the IWS marker facilitates earlier detection in this patient population.

“(The IWS assessment) is a very measurable but simple technology, (which) tells us something is occurring before we see visible systolic function changes,” noted Dr. Tsuda, a pediatric cardiologist at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Del.

Dr. Tsuda emphasized that the study findings with the IWS assessment show that the heart muscle is not the only factor to consider in the development of DMD cardiomyopathy.

“(The IWS method) lets you see that it’s not just the heart muscle that is causing trouble. Both the heart muscle problem and sinus tachycardia are both giving rise to the pathological process. Now there is very little we can do with the muscle cells, but we can control the heart rate to reduce the interior wall stress. As a result, we can retard or attenuate the progression of disease. That's a major reason to introduce this (IWS assessment) method,” emphasized Dr. Tsuda.

In a recent interview, Takeshi Tsuda, M.D., discussed new study findings that show the viability of integrated wall stress as a key diagnostic marker for detecting preclinical cardiomyopathy in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

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