A personal ultrasound imager (ultrasound stethoscope). A revolution in the physical cardiac diagnosis!

By providing an enormous amount of qualitative and quantitative information obtained in a short period of time and its high versatility in application, echocardiography has become the most widely used and costeffective cardiac imaging method. It has contributed significantly to the reduction of cardiovascular misdiagnosis since 1971. Since it is often the best or even the only applicable method, it has largely supplanted other imaging modalities in a wide variety of health care environments. Miniaturization and digital techniques have resulted in the development of high resolution battery-powered personal and portable ultrasound imaging devices with excellent grey-scale and colour blood flow imaging capabilities. These personal imagers are appropriately named ‘ultrasound stethoscopes’ since they allow the chest to be examined (stehos=chest and skopein=see). They can be used anywhere, as part of the clinical examination, just like a conventional stethoscope. In this short review, we outline the potential behind using a small ultrasound imager in different clinical scenarios and how ‘the echocardiograph in your pocket’ will change the practice of physical examination and diagnosis.