Abdominal
Pocket-Sized vs . Standard Ultrasound Machines
Abdominal Ultrasound
Abdominal imaging is used as a non-invasive , investigative tool for detecting pathology of abdominal organs and / or abdominal fluids . Due to standard ultrasound machines being expensive and bulky , the development of smaller , portable ultrasound machines that are more affordable started in 1975 , when the first portable ultrasound machine became commercially available . The first battery-powered , pocket-sized ultrasound machine was developed in the late 1990s . With recent technological advances , a portable and lighter ultrasound device with higher resolution quality is made possible by a few companies like GE Healthcare , Philips and Siemens . These advancements allow clinicians and emergency physicians immediate access to instant assessments correlated to imaging , reducing patients ’ wait times , reallocating resources , lowering financial costs and improving healthcare workflow .
Image Comparison
For the purpose of comparison between pocket-sized and standard ultrasound machines , the same patient was used to test the image quality and ability of both machines . The pocket-sized ultrasound machine in this experiment was a GE Vscan , and the standard ultrasound machine was a Philips iU22 . A tenured radiologist with a minimum of ten years ’ experience in ultrasound imaging performed the scans on both ultrasound machines . The time frame of each scan on both machines was comparable . The following abdominal scans of normal and abnormal organs were used for this experiment : spleen , kidney , pancreas , liver , gallbladder and major large vessels .
All in all , pocket-sized ultrasound machines are satisfactory for pathologies ( i . e . dilation , fluid collection or gallstones ) in abdominal imaging during emergency screenings due to the high-resolution images , but limited imaging is a drawback , and poor penetration prevents proper assessment of solid organ pathologies . Standard ultrasound machines are still superior in abdominal imaging overall , but more technological advancements may still occur in the future !
Reference
Pocketsized Ultrasound Machine
Standard Ultrasound Machine
Diagnostic
Medical Sonography