From Medison Co.,Ltd.;
'SONOVET 600 and Veterinarian
SONOVET 600 provides an improved image quality for accurate and reliable diagnosis for bovine and equine reproductive organ scanning, and small animal general abdominal examination. For higher resolution imaging, the industry standard linear and convex probes are available with the extensive measurement function.'

From Kontron Medical SAS;
'The Sigma 330 is a versatile, digital, mobile Ultrasound System, upgradeable from 2D to Doppler, Color Flow Mapping and 3D.
The Sigma 330 displays excellent image quality and superb Doppler and CFM sensitivity, employing ATEC™ (Advanced Tissue Echo Cancellation), a revolutionary technology developed by the Kontron Medical R&D Center, which removes tissue artifacts ('ghosting').'

Specifications for this system will be available soon.

The field of medical imaging offers numerous career opportunities, and one profession is that of a sonographer. Sonographers play a critical role in healthcare by utilizing ultrasound technology to create images of the body's internal structures.

See also Handheld Ultrasound, Ultrasound Machine, Sonography, Portable Ultrasound Machine, Ultrasound Accessories and Supplies, Environmental Protection and Ultrasound Technology.

Common ultrasound supplies that are often used in conjunction with ultrasound imaging:
Common ultrasound accessories that are often used in conjunction with ultrasound imaging:
Consult with ultrasound equipment vendors or professionals in the field to determine the specific accessories and supplies that best suit your imaging needs and specialty. See also Equipment Preparation, Environmental Protection, Portable Ultrasound Machine, Ultrasound Technology, Ultrasound System Performance and Sonographer.

(UCA / USCA) Ultrasonography is the most commonly performed diagnostic imaging procedure. The introduction of sonographic contrast media into routine practice modifies the use of ultrasound in a variety of clinical applications. USCAs consist of microbubbles filled with air or gases and can be classified according to their pharmacokinetics. Among the blood pool agents, transpulmonary ultrasound contrast agents offer higher diagnostic potential compared to agents that cannot pass the pulmonary capillary bed after a peripheral intravenous injection. In addition to their vascular phase, some USCAs can exhibit a tissue- or organ-specific phase.
The sonogram image quality is improved either by decreasing the reflectivity of the undesired interfaces or by increasing the backscattered echoes from the desired regions.

Different types of ultrasound contrast agents:
Ultrasound contrast agents act as echo-enhancers, because of the high different acoustic impedance at the interface between gas and blood. The enhanced echo intensity is proportional to the change in acoustical impedance as the sound beam crosses from the blood to the gas in the bubbles.

The ideal qualities of an ultrasound contrast agent:
A typical ultrasound contrast agent consists of a thin flexible or rigid shell composed of albumin, lipid, or polymer confining a gas such as nitrogen, or a perfluorocarbon. The choice of the microbubble shell and gas has an important influence on the properties of the agent.
Current generations of microbubbles have a diameter from 1 μm to 5 μm. The success of these agents is mostly dependent on the small size and on the stability of their shell, which allows passage of the microbubbles through the pulmonary circulation. Microbubbles must be made smaller than the diameter of capillaries or they would embolize and be ineffective and perhaps even dangerous.
The reflectivity of these microbubbles is proportional to the fourth power of a particle diameter but also directly proportional to the concentration of the contrast agent particles themselves.
Ultrasound contrast agents produce unique acoustic signatures that allow to separate their signal from tissue echoes and to depict whether they are moving or stationary. This enables the detection of capillary flow and of targeted microbubbles that are retained in tissues such as normal liver.
The new generation of contrast media is characterized by prolonged persistence in the vascular bed which provides consistent enhancement of the arterial Doppler signal. Contrast agents make it also possible to perform dynamic and perfusion studies. Targeted contrast imaging agents are for example taken up by the phagocytic cell systems and thus have liver/spleen specific effects.

See also Ultrasound Contrast Agent Safety, Adverse Reaction, Tissue-Specific Ultrasound Contrast Agent, and Bubble Specific Imaging.