New Technology for Ultrasonographers
This blog is now focused on laboratory specialties. This article is here for your information only, as jobs are no longer provided for any radiation technician specialties.
The first elastography capable ultrasound system hit the market about a year ago. Elasticity imaging gauges how much tissue moves when pressed, how hard or soft tissue is, and how the size changes when pressed. Malignant tissue reacts slightly differently than benign tissue in these tests, giving useful information about a tumor.
An elastography exam is done on an ultrasound machine, but using different software than is used to perform an ultrasound. The technique is noninvasive, just like an ultrasound, and can be performed at the same time as an ultrasound when an ultrasonographer moves tissue slightly with a transducer. The ultrasonographer is then provided with two sets of information and can better interpret what is seen.
Elastography still has a long way to go before becoming a common practice. It must be proven that the elastography exam can be done with little variability between ultrasonographers. Also, the practice is limited to instances where the lesion can be seen on the ultrasound in the first place to get useful results using elastography. However, researchers see much promise for elastography’s use in breast cancer especially, and hope that it will become a mainstream practice soon.
Learn more about hiring Ultrasonographers.
Sources:
- Stanislaw, Stacy (2008, March 3) Virtual Palpation. Advance for Imaging and Radiation Therapy Professionals, 20-22
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