Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health physicians are using point-of-care ultrasound technology to reduce imaging burden on patients with cerebrospinal fluid disorders.
Ryan Lee, MD, assistant professor of neurological surgery and director of the Hydrocephalus, Chiari and Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders Center, introduced the technology at his clinic at the Village at Vanderbilt. The approach allows patients to undergo ultrasound imaging during clinic visits rather than schedule separate appointments at imaging centers, according to a May 20 news release.
The technology is especially useful for patients who require repeated imaging after procedures related to hydrocephalus, chiari malformation and other cerebrospinal fluid disorders. Unlike CT scans, ultrasounds do not expose patients to radiation and can provide immediate imaging results during appointments.
The approach relies on anatomical “windows” that allow ultrasound waves to penetrate areas of the skull. Newer ultrasound-permeable materials used in some skull reconstruction procedures support the technology’s use in postoperative imaging.
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