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…
Imaging systems using ultrasound have attained a large presence as point-of-care (PoC) devices across many clinical domains over the past 10 years. The success of ultrasound for this purpose is attributed to several characteristics, including the low cost and portability…
Advances in the understanding and knowledge of disease and the development of newer treatment methods, along with the increasing skill of health care providers and their expanding ability to treat disease, have made medicine a rapidly expanding frontier. The increasing…
The term vascular emergency carries a critical sense of urgency given that the integrity of the vascular system is crucial to maintain the vital blood supply to the various organ systems. Consequently, certain clinical scenarios demand immediate action to determine…