Recent developments in diagnostic ultrasound

Ultrasound is being used increasingly in clinical diagnosis throughout the world in many medical specialties. Its major advantages over other imaging modalities are that it is minimally invasive, less expansive, and portable. Its resolution rivals that of X-ray computerized tomography and magnetic resonant imaging. Its limitations are that certain organs, such as lung and bone, are inaccessible by ultrasound, and that certain organs such as heart can only be accessed through limited acoustic windows. In recent years, great advances have been achieved in ultrasound imaging technology that make it even more versatile. Color Doppler flow imaging, parallel processing, Duplex scanning, and transesophageal imaging are just a few examples. In this paper, those developments, among others, are reviewed and their implications in clinical practice are discussed.