Dear Ultrasound Insider,
In many ways, compact ultrasound has been transformative, bringing the modality into new clinical areas. Will these systems now evolve to become the stethoscopes of the future?
Not likely, according to Stephen Holloway, associate director of medical devices and healthcare IT research at IHS. Find out why, along with what may be on the horizon for this market sector, in this edition's Insider Exclusive, which you can access before our other AuntMinnie.com members.
In other news, the Canadian Association of Radiologists and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada have teamed up to tackle the disturbing rise of fetal ultrasound for nonmedical purposes. The two societies issued a joint policy statement indicating their strong opposition to entertainment ultrasound, which has been linked with gender-specific abortion.
Korean researchers also recently explored the factors behind why breast ultrasound finds cancer that mammography misses, and whole-breast ultrasound is still a valuable adjunct to conventional mammography, Yale University researchers concluded.
Kaiser Permanente in California has tested a way to increase the number of men being screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). By integrating alerts for screening into its electronic health record software, the health system saw a more than 50% reduction in the number of at-risk men who didn't receive AAA screening. Find out more here.
Speaking of AAA screening, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently revised its stance on AAA ultrasound screening. Click here for details on the task force's draft recommendation.
In cardiac news, the American College of Cardiology and other societies are calling for patient-centric and individualized heart imaging. Also, cardiac sonographer Doug Wuebben has returned with another edition of his Making a Difference as a Sonographer series. In his latest installment, Mr. Wuebben shares how to tackle shoulder and neck pain.
Is there a topic you'd like to see covered in the Ultrasound Digital Community? As always, please feel free to drop me a line.
