Veteran radiologist hopes 3D US will excite young imagers

Dr. Marcela Bohm-Velez, an assistant professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, acknowledges that 3D ultrasound is relevant in obstetrics. But she has also found it helpful in other applications and hopes that 3D ultrasound will excite the next crop of imagers and sonologists.

"Expertise in ultrasound is really going down. The new generation of radiologists understands CT or MRI incredibly well. Ultrasound, on the other hand, is, unfortunately, too operator-dependent and abstract for them, though it's not really that hard to understand.

"It's very sad that the new generation of radiologists doesn't have the experience or maybe the desire to learn more about ultrasound. Perhaps 3D could be helpful: It may help them to better understand the anatomy and pathologic processes they are scanning.

"In recent times, I have started using 3D to assess the endometrium's thickening, and in most cases, I'm able to tell the specific cause. I find 3D very helpful in those cases."