The Future of Ultrasound is Here: Handheld Portable Ultrasound Devices

Future of Ultrasound Medical Devices explained by PostDICOM

The ultrasound remains one of the most important diagnostic tools available in medical imaging. This stems from the fact that it is faster and cheaper than other methods of medical imaging, such as the CT scan or MRI. It also has the advantage of being safer than both modalities, as it does not involve the use of ionizing radiation or magnetic fields. Despite these advantages, the ultrasound still remains underused as a medical diagnostic tool. At present, the ultrasound medical device is only used extensively in three major clinical specialties, namely radiology, cardiology and obstetrics. However, this is about to change with the introduction of new generation portable ultrasound devices.


What is the benefit of having portable ultrasound devices?

When ultrasound systems were first introduced, they were bulky devices that could not be easily transported. Therefore, each department that used the ultrasound had its own imaging system in place. This played a huge role in restricting the use of ultrasound as an imaging system. Portability makes it possible to make ultrasound a point-of-care (POC) diagnostic test. This means that the test can be carried out at the patient’s bedside, where medical care is actually being delivered, rather than at a medical laboratory or imaging room. The introduction of the handheld ultrasound device has several proven benefits, which include the following:



What are the applications of handheld ultrasound devices?

Future of Ultrasound Medical Devices explained by PostDICOM

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What types of portable ultrasound devices are available on the market today?

Several ultrasound system manufacturers have come up with their own handheld ultrasound device. Here we list some of the best handheld ultrasound devices developed by various ultrasound machine manufacturers:



Going beyond diagnosis: therapeutic low intensity ultrasound device

Future of Ultrasound Medical Devices explained by PostDICOM

Ultrasound is no longer just a diagnostic imaging modality, it can be used for therapy as well. Low intensity ultrasound devices, which deliver sound waves between 1 MHz to 3 MHz, have been shown to promote tissue healing. These low intensity ultrasound devices have been in use for a long time in physiotherapy units, where they are primarily used for pain relief. Current research has shown that ultrasound can aid in faster healing of wounds and fractures.

Therapeutic ultrasound devices are available for home use and therefore are usually portable. An ultrasound device for home use can provide relief for patients who have chronic pain and can help with faster convalescence after an injury. The best home ultrasound device must be of clinical grade quality, should have a sufficiently large probe so that you can use it over a wider area of the body.

What does the future hold for handheld ultrasound devices?

With the advent of handheld ultrasound, several areas of medicine that did not previously use ultrasound are likely to do so in the future. However, one significant challenge in expanding the use of the portable ultrasound device is the lack of adequate specialist knowledge. Several physicians and primary healthcare providers may not have sufficient training to be able to interpret the ultrasound images with ease and precision. Performing the ultrasound scan may also require certain technical skills which need to be acquired.

Some ultrasound machine manufacturers are looking towards artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) techniques as a possible solution to the above challenges. By incorporating image recognition techniques, the portable ultrasound manufacturers enable the device to offer users guidance on organ detection and probe placement. Philips Healthcare, for instance, has developed an ‘AI breast’ system that helps the sonographer identify key anatomical landmarks. This helps in reaching a correct diagnosis. AI systems are currently under research for detecting abnormalities within images and reaching a diagnosis. QView medical, for example, is testing a software solution that is capable of detecting suspicious areas of breast tissue and highlighting areas which might possibly be malignant.

AI solutions are also being developed for ultrasound-based quantification. Ultrasound-based imaging analysis software is being used to incorporate deep learning techniques for measurements. Ejection fractions can be calculated and analyzed using DiA’s ultrasound analysis tools. It is also possible to quantify the fetal brain using GE healthcare’s SonoCNS fetal brain system.

The future goal is to combine detection tools with quantification tools, so that a quicker and more accurate patient diagnosis can be made.

Portable ultrasound devices need a versatile DICOM imaging software

We have entered the world of convenience by using the latest portable systems produced by various ultrasound device manufacturers. The software needed for reading, editing and analyzing the ultrasound images must be equally versatile. Just as it is now possible to acquire the image at the bedside, it would be ideal if the DICOM imaging software edited and analyzed the image at the bedside as well.

PostDICOM’s cloud-based DICOM imaging software provides such features on the cloud! Our multimodality online imaging viewer supports ultrasound images in the DICOM format. It allows editing and analytic features such as measurements of angles, volumes and lines. The viewer is compatible with Android, Mac OS, Windows and Linux — so you can access the viewer from any device, at any time! PostDICOM offers free trial to cloud storage as well, so you don’t have to save images to your hospital PACS server. If you have a handheld ultrasound device or are planning on getting one, make sure that you register for your PostDICOM image viewer to go with it!

Notebook PostDICOM Viewer

Cloud PACS and Online DICOM Viewer

Upload DICOM images and clinical documents to PostDICOM servers. Store, view, collaborate, and share your medical imaging files.