Portable ultrasound machines are valuable tools for radiologists, cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, emergency physicians, OB/GYNs, veterinarians, and many other medical professionals. Technological advances make them more compact, versatile, and accurate every year, and they’re easy to store and transport to patients. Some organizations use them as backup devices during particularly busy times. Most mid-range portable ultrasounds are about the size of a laptop, and hundreds of different model types exist. Learn about portable ultrasound machine features and three models that offer great value and performance.

What To Expect With a Portable Ultrasound Machine

Mid-range portable ultrasounds can help doctors diagnose a wide variety of medical issues. Needle visualization helps them administer local anesthesia, drain excess fluid, and perform other procedures. They’re helpful for practices with multiple exam rooms that can’t afford a separate device for each room. You can typically pair them with mobility carts that have additional features.

Many of these devices have color Doppler imaging to show the amount of blood flow in different tissues, and they can detect contrast agents designed for ultrasounds. Three-dimensional or 3D imaging provides realistic views, and 4D or live imaging lets you see how parts of the body move to diagnose problems more easily. Image optimization and automatic measurements save time and reduce operator fatigue.

The GE Logiq E

The GE Logiq E is one of the best, most popular budget portable ultrasound machines, and it’s a superb choice for vascular, cardiac, abdominal, gastrointestinal, point-of-care, veterinary, and urology applications. It usually costs between $5,000 and $15,000, and it gives buyers a balance between features and affordability. You can control it with the keyboard, knobs, and trackball.

The GE Logiq E comes with one probe connection, though you can add a cart with three additional connections. Many transducers are available, including hockey stick or small footprint linear array transducers, high-frequency linear transducers, and intraoperative or laparoscopic probes. This device provides:

• 3D imaging
• A 15-inch LCD monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution
• A two-hour battery life
• Simultaneous split-screen scanning
• Manual or automatic anatomy-specific image optimization
• The ability to create and save your own settings
• Power Doppler imaging (PDI) to detect even slow blood flow in small vessels
• A 160-gigabyte internal hard drive
• Adaptive color enhancement (ACE)
• SmartScan software for better image acquisition
• ComfortScan ergonomic design
• A patient information database with an image archive
• Wireless support

The Chison Sonobook 9

The Chison Sonobook 9 is the best portable, mid-range ultrasound machine for vascular and cardiac imaging. It also works well for urology, OB/GYN, anesthesia, emergency medicine, critical care, musculoskeletal, and other applications. This device usually costs between $16,000 and $32,000.

Convenient buttons, knobs, and a trackball make it easy to control, and the internal solid-state hard drive makes changing modes, saving or adjusting images, and transferring data quick and straightforward. You can start it and get it ready for scanning in less than a minute, and switching between ultrasound modes and measurements is simple. Standard features include:

• A two-hour battery life
• 3D imaging
• HDLive 4D virtual HD imaging with a virtual light source
• A 15-inch LED monitor with an Ultra HD display
• Automatic image optimization for D-mode or Doppler images and B-mode or two-dimensional images
• Q-Image tissue optimization for different types of tissue
• An efficient, user-defined workflow
• Automatic measurements
• Speckle reduction software
• Elastography to measure the stiffness of tissue

The Philips CX50

The Philips CX50 is the most versatile portable mid-range ultrasound machine. It has advanced software, good penetration in hard-to-image patients, and premium image quality. It works well for cardiovascular, abdominal, OB/GYN, musculoskeletal, veterinary, emergency medicine, and anesthesia applications. It’s one of the only portable ultrasounds that’s compatible with single crystal and xMatrix transducers.

This machine usually costs between $20,000 and $40,000, and it has a variety of premium features. You can control it with knobs and buttons. Compound imaging combines several pictures from slightly different angles for a more accurate view. Live Compare lets you view current and previous exam images side by side to look for changes. This ultrasound machine also comes with:

• 3D imaging
• 4D imaging for cardiac scans
• A 15-inch HD monitor
• Two probe ports
• A 40-minute battery life
• iSCAN automatic image optimization
• Smart Exam automated protocols for quicker, easier exams
• Mitral valve quantification
• Cardiac motion quantification (CMQ)
• Needle visualization
• Intelligent Doppler to maintain a preselected angle

More Options with Strata Imaging

To discover more about portable ultrasound machines and the brands and features available, contact us at Strata Imaging. We can help you choose a new or refurbished portable ultrasound that’s perfect for all your needs.

Additional Options From Strata Imaging

At Strata Imaging, we offer an extensive inventory of these musculoskeletal ultrasound machines and more. You can get a refurbished device or a brand-new model you can use to diagnose and treat patients. Contact us to learn more about the MSK ultrasound machines we have available.

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