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Market Analysis: Ultrasound

During World War II, the first ultrasound machines produced black-and-white images that helped doctors diagnose conditions in the heart and the brain.

Tue Jan 01 2013By Medical Dealer Magazine

During World War II, the first ultrasound machines produced black-and-white images that helped doctors diagnose conditions in the heart and the brain. Today, ultrasound proves helpful in a variety of applications, especially in the field of cardiology, where ultrasound produces heart wall motion diagnostics, and for volume imaging in obstetrics and gynecology. It is one of the most affordable – and is widely considered one of the safest – imaging modalities. In the 60 years since its initial applications in medicine, technology has advanced tremendously, making ultrasound one of the most commonly purchased imaging machines. Pocket-sized, color-image producing ultrasound machines are now advancing care and speeding diagnoses in point-of-care settings such as emergency medicine and anesthesia.

Today, doctors also use ultrasound for therapeutic treatments such as ablation, in which high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is applied to remove unwanted biological tissue. Ablation techniques assist in the removal of uterine fibroids and the treatment of prostate cancer.

Though new technologies have driven ultrasound use in a variety of applications, radiologists typically use ultrasound only for basic exams, according to an article published in Diagnostic Imaging. But advances in image quality and increasing awareness of the dangers of higher radiation exposure in other modalities may lead to a renewed interest in ultrasound, according to the article.

Read more in the Jan. 2013 issue of Medical Dealer Magazine.

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