Ultrasound equipment

Ultrasound equipment is the most portable of all the imaging modalities. It can be brought to the patient bedside and emergency room. Recently, ultrasound laptop/handheld portable imaging systems have become available and these can facilitate use in ambulances and field hospitals). 

The ultrasound equipment is also readily available in private medical practice offices. It is certainly the imaging modality of choice for remote places and/or economically disadvantaged areas. 

The field of view for the ultrasound equipment is rather small, typically, not more than 20-30 cm and just a few centimeters at higher spatial resolution. Normally, a cross-sectional image in the plane of the imaging probe is obtained. Respectively, the operator must know where to place the transducer to locate the area of an expected lesion, as compared with a whole-body CT, the wide flat view of planar X-ray or MRI scans. 

It is claimed that commercially-available ultrasound equipment can measure the following quality parameters of dairy products levels of solids, solids non-fat (SNF), protein, water and fat solid fat content (SFC), colloidal stability, gelation point, adulteration with oil, particle size, particle size distribution, oil composition, protein denaturation and fat oxidation. This incomplete list represents an impressive contribution towards the solution of food quality measurement although the present authors are slightly skeptical regarding some of these claims. In this review only those applications will be addressed which are regarded as robust. 

Professor Luque de Castro and Dr. Priego Capote have assembled a vast amount of information about ultrasound, and this unique book is timely, given advances in ultrasound equipment and demonstrations of how this energy has been used to enhance various steps of analyses, which suggest that more can be done. 

Developments in ultrasound equipment and scanners hold promise for further understanding and characterizing different types of renal disease. Delineation of a specific ultrasonic pattern for glomerulonephritis would dispense with the need for many renal biopsies. Advances in computers and mechanical scanners that can produce a picture in 2 seconds should enhance the usefulness of ultrasound, which is currently the logical choice for uremic patients who are unable to excrete isotopes and contrast media. 

Xu, M., Wen, X., Huang, X., Li, Y. (2010). Membrane fouUng control in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor coupled with online ultrasound equipment for digestion of waste activated sludge. Separation Science and Technology, 45, 941—947. 

Subindustries. Ultrasound supports a number of subindustries, including maintenance and repair. Ultrasound equipment is connected to devices such as printers, photographic equipment, and video recorders. Consumables must be replenished. These include coupling gel, film, videotapes, and printer paper. Needles and syringes are necessary for performing an amniocentesis. A number of specialized instruments are manufactured for tissue biopsy or ovum extraction. Textbooks and other educational resources are purchased by practitioners. Other educational material is marketed for the public. 

The actor Tom Cruise purchased a 200,000 ultrasound machine in 2005 to perform numerous examinations on his pregnant girlfriend, Katie Holmes. A year later, he promoted legislation to prohibit the sale of ultrasound equipment to anyone who is not a medical professional. 

Because it is a superficial structure, the penis is ideally suited to ultrasound imaging. In fact, improved spatial resolution and increased color Doppler sensitivity provided by the latest generation of ultrasound equipment allow an excellent evaluation of normal and pathological penile structures. Ultrasound evaluation of the penis, however, requires a good knowledge of penile anatomy to identify subtle changes that can be appreciated in pathological conditions. 

The measurement of the area of the corpora cavernosa in the transversal scan is simple using the electronic facilities of the ultrasound equipment. It is possible to calculate immediately the area delimitated with the trackball. Actually these measurements are rarely used in the clinical practice because penile changes in size and rigidity are well evaluated clinically and manually (Nelson and Lue 1989). 

Eggleton, R.C. and McGhnn, T. Probe for sound field calibration of medical ultrasound equipment, Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conv. Am. Inst. Ultrasound in Med., AIUM, Laurel, MD, 1979, 123. 

The comparative low cost of ultrasound equipment has resulted in its widespread clinical use. This will ensure a strong developing market for ultrasound contrast agents in the future. 

NEMA Standards Publication UD 2 (1993) Acoustic output measurement standard for diagnostic ultrasound equipment Revision 2. 

Nondestructive testing. An ultrasonic inspection technique is available for the detection of flaws in plate, piping, and tubing. The water-immersed pulse-echo ultrasound equipment has been adapted to highspeed use. Eddy-current, dye-penetrant, and radiogr.aphic inspection methods are also used as required. The inspected materials have included Inconel, austenitic stainless steel, INOR-8, and the Hastelloy and other nickel-molybdenum-ba.se alloys. 

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