Pocket-sized ultrasound device for accurate diagnosis

Scientists have developed a new pocket-sized ultrasound device (PUD) that can accurately diagnose conditions such as gallstones and abdominal mass, while reducing the number of tests a patient needs.
Results from a study presented at The International Liver Congress 2015 in Vienna demonstrate that the use of a PUD helps to reduce the need for further testing in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.
The study evaluated the effectiveness of the PUD when testing for the following conditions: biliary-duct dilation, gallstones, ascites, splenomegaly, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, urinary retention, urinary stones, abdominal mass and aortic aneurysm.
PUDs offer a comparable performance to standard ultrasonography, however the accuracy of a physical examination is often poor meaning that further tests are required.

The study assessed whether adding the use of PUD to physical examination could lead to a reduction in the rate of additional tests.
Of the 1,962 patients in the study, 726 (37 per cent) were inpatients, 510 (26 per cent) were hepatology outpatients and 726 (37 per cent) were recruited from general practitioners (GPs).

Gallstones (37 per cent), ascites - excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (17 per cent), pleural effusion (13 per cent), urinary stones (13 per cent) and urinary retention (12 per cent) accounted for more than 90 per cent of the clinical questions, confirmed by PUD in 66 per cent of cases.

The overall frequency of further tests needed after PUD was 37 per cent.
The rate of agreement between findings of the PUD and additional tests was 89 per cent.
This study found that after basic training, the use of a PUD offers a simple and effective way to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and reduce the number of tests a patient needs.