Hospitalist Use Of Hand-carried Ultrasound: Preparing For Battle
May 21, 2017
UroToday - The urologists "stethoscope" has just been unveiled! Both GE and a company called SonoSite have made the hand-carried or pocket ultrasound device commercially available this month. This easy to use, portable imaging technology will allow every urologist in their office, emergency room or ICU to easily image the kidneys, bladder, prostate and scrotum instantly and without radiation effect. This will finally provide the ultimate urologic physical examination diagnostic tool that quite literally is at the urologist's fingertips.
This device is economically feasible being approximately half the cost ($7,900) of the traditional office-based ultrasound equipment. Eventually this technology will provide 3-D ultrasound capabilities and potentially even therapeutic as well as diagnostic capabilities in the urologic outpatient setting. However, as these clinicians report, it will be imperative to develop appropriate educational programs and plan for outcome, validation and training studies. Now is the time for urologists to learn, and become facile with, ultrasound examination of the abdomen and pelvis.
The AUA offers on-line basic ultrasound knowledge courses partnered with hands-on training at the Annual Meeting and Sectional meetings. The next year will likely herald clinical studies of this new hand-held imaging technology to affirm the positive impact this can have in the diagnosis of patients with urologic problems devoid of radiation exposure.
This is the future of urologic clinical practice - don't miss the sailing of this ship!
Kimura BJ, Amundson SA, Shaw DJ
J Hosp Med. 2010 Mar;5(3):163-7
doi: 10.1002/jhm.591
UroToday Contributing Editor Elspeth M. McDougall, MD, FRCSC, MHPE
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