Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Our March conference coverage keeps on rolling this week, with new reports coming in from the just-concluded American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) meeting. Staff writer Erik L. Ridley braved a blast of late-winter weather in New York City to bring you the latest coverage for our Ultrasound Digital Community.
Our lead article addresses the controversial topic of keepsake ultrasound -- ultrasound scans conducted as mementos for expecting parents rather than out of medical necessity. The phenomenon has been heavily criticized by members of the medical establishment, but a study presented at the AIUM meeting indicated that the rapidly growing keepsake industry may actually being fed by patient dissatisfaction with some aspects of their medical ultrasound exam.
U.S. researchers found keepsake ultrasound scans to be more in line with the desires of expecting parents than medical ultrasound studies. Indeed, medical ultrasound practitioners might be able to learn a thing or two about patient satisfaction from keepsake facilities, according to the authors. Get more details by clicking here.
In another AIUM story, a study by U.S. researchers found that there is often a significant misunderstanding among pregnant woman about what ultrasound can and can't tell them about possible birth defects. Many women incorrectly believe that a normal second-trimester ultrasound exam guarantees that their baby will be born without birth defects or chromosomal abnormalities. Find out what's behind the misconception by clicking here.
We round out our AIUM coverage with a story on the benefits of differential tissue harmonic imaging (DTHI) over other ultrasound modes, specifically tissue harmonic imaging and conventional ultrasound, for hepatic imaging. That article is available here.
Get these stories and more by visiting our Ultrasound Digital Community, at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
