Ultrasonic imaging: safety considerations

Modern ultrasound imaging for diagnostic purposes has a wide range of applications. It is used in obstetrics to monitor the progress of pregnancy, in oncology to visualize tumours and their response to treatment, and, in cardiology, contrast-enhanced studies are used to investigate heart function an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Interface focus 2011-08, Vol.1 (4), p.686-697
Main Author: Haar, Gail ter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diagnostic Ultrasound
Epidemiology
Safety
Thermal Effects
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Modern ultrasound imaging for diagnostic purposes has a wide range of applications. It is used in obstetrics to monitor the progress of pregnancy, in oncology to visualize tumours and their response to treatment, and, in cardiology, contrast-enhanced studies are used to investigate heart function and physiology. An increasing use of diagnostic ultrasound is to provide the first photograph for baby's album—in the form of a souvenir or keepsake scan that might be taken as part of a routine investigation, or during a visit to an independent high-street ‘boutique’. It is therefore important to ensure that any benefit accrued from these applications outweighs any accompanying risk, and to evaluate the existing ultrasound bio-effect and epidemiology literature with this in mind. This review considers the existing laboratory and epidemiological evidence about the safety of diagnostic ultrasound and puts it in the context of current clinical usage.
ISSN:2042-8898
2042-8901
DOI:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0029