Introduction Long considered to be a vital diagnostic tool utilized exclusively within the realm of cardiology, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is being used safely and effectively within the perioperative, critical care, and emergency room settings. Of particular importance is the ability…
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Basic Echocardiography Clinical Correlation Point-of-care cardiac ultrasound is indicated for a wide variety of clinical presentations, including cardiac trauma, cardiac arrest, tachycardia, hypotension, shortness of breath, chest pain, and syncope. It requires a minimum of two views of the heart…
Clinical Correlation Patients who present with undifferentiated shortness of breath can be challenging due to the broad differential diagnosis, which encompasses pulmonary, cardiac, mixed cardiopulmonary, and noncardiopulmonary etiologies. Lung ultrasound has revolutionized the approach to the undifferentiated dyspneic patient. What…
Introduction Transcranial ultrasound (US) is commonly used to evaluate complications of prematurity, in which case it may be used as a screening tool, or to evaluate infants with seizures, apnea, bradycardia, or falling hematocrit. When used to screen premature infants,…
Clinical Correlation The most common disease affecting the carotid arteries is atherosclerosis. Other less common, but clinically important conditions include dissection, trauma, and carotid body tumors. The carotid bifurcation is a common location for the development of atherosclerotic plaque. Although…
Introduction Ocular point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can rapidly identify ocular emergencies, including the diagnoses of lens detachment/dislocations, retinal detachment, vitreous detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, ocular infections, the presence of foreign bodies, and secondary signs of elevated intracranial pressure. In a fast-paced clinical…
Introduction In the emergency department setting, the use of head and neck ultrasound has become a valuable tool to expedite the diagnosis of familiar diseases and facilitate common procedures. For head and neck pathology, ultrasound is often favored over computed…
Clinical Considerations Patients with soft tissue infections of the oropharynx and neck commonly present to the emergency department and other frontline medical providers. Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is the most common deep infection of the neck and face. PTAs develop from…
Introduction Ultrasound artifacts represent a false portrayal of image anatomy or image degradations related to false assumptions regarding the propagation and interaction of ultrasound with tissues, as well as malfunctioning or maladjusted equipment. Understanding how artifacts are generated and how…