Blog Posting by Nancy Hoxie
1st Year DMS Student
Montgomery College
New Innovations in Ultrasound Technology
At Washington University in St. Louis two engineers have been developing portable ultrasound capabilities that can be taken to underdeveloped countries or rural areas in America to assist in diagnosing health problems. For 25 years of research, engineers, William Richard and David Zar, have been taking technology that normally fits into a full sized cabinet and now miniaturizing this technology down a tiny card. The electronic board measures 1inch by 3 inches. About 10 years ago the engineers moved their work from developing a PCI card to USB plug in probes. Their focus of engineering moved to the electronics of the probe. So now when you want to change a probe you are using a USB device instead of having to change the card. Richard and Zar are now collaborating with Microsoft Research and have developed a number of commercial based USB probes that are compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. The probes can be used with compatible Windows Mobile Smartphone. The advantage of using the smartphone verses PC is that the smartphone is super portable and can be used as a platform to transmit images to another location using the smartphone internet capability.
Without a doubt this is extraordinary technology! But, what are the pros and cons? As I am reading about the proposed uses of the equipment all I am reading is about how this new technology can be made available to everyone. Will there be restrictions as to who will be allowed to purchase the ultrasound equipment? At the end of one article William Richard states that he hopes to see the probes on any pharmacy shelf soon. He hopes to have the cost down to approximately $500.00 a probe. GE has recently announced their version of a hand held ultrasound device, the Vscan, without any mention of price. GE also hopes to see the ease of availability for those that wish to purchase an ultrasound device; they even encourage the ease of home use for pregnancy scanning.I am currently in ultrasound training through an accredited program. I would hope that there will be some restriction on who will be allowed to buy this new ultrasound equipment. Those of us who are professionally trained and know the complexity of imaging and interpreting ultrasound are fascinated with the technology but at the same time I see some devastating circumstances occurring if it is left unchecked.
Do any of you see other pros and cons? What do you think would be the most likely error an untrained person would make? Do you think this will make office based ultrasound obsolete and why?
The DMS Program at Montgomery College offers three major concentrations of study- General (Abdominal, Ob/Gyn, Breast & Small Parts), Cardiac (Adult and Pediatric), and Vascular Technology. Upon successfully completing the DMS Program at MC, graduates are eligible to sit for their ARDMS National Board Exams. For more information on our Ultrasound Program, visit our website at http://www.Montgomerycollege.edu/dms
3 comments:
Nancy, i agree with you. This technology should only be used by licensed professional who know what they are doing and not any other persons. The ALARA principle comes into effect if this technology is used too much
irene
Ultrasound education and sonography technology professionals use special equipment and technology to make assessments and diagnoses on various medical conditions.
After two years, are these portable ultrasound capabilities used by the ultrasound technician in underdeveloped countries and rural areas in America? Any updated news?
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