By Beth Py-Lieberman | smithsonian.com | June 14, 2016
The female named Batang should deliver her new infant in mid-September
It’s official. For the first time in 25 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is expecting a baby orangutan. The new baby should arrive by mid-September.
The news was made official today when the mother orang received an ultrasound and the entire event was broadcast live on Facebook.
By Sally Robertson, BSc
Kidney (renal) cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form on one or both of the kidneys. Usually, these cysts do not cause symptoms or kidney damage, in which case they are referred to as simple kidney cysts.
Simple kidney cysts are very different from the type of cysts that develop when a person has the genetic condition polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which causes scarring of the kidney tissue that can eventually damage the kidney and lead to kidney failure.
Simple cysts sometimes cause symptoms if they have become large enough or have started to press on other organs. They can also become infected, leading to pain and fever.
With Zika spreading across the United States, the fetal fears that began in Brazil have come a lot closer to home. According to The Washington Post, several women have faced the effects of contracting Zika virus during their pregnancies: one woman has already given birth to a baby with severe birth defects, while other mothers have miscarried or chosen to abort fetuses with early signs of abnormalities. Mothers who have Zika or are concerned that they could contract it are facing serious decisions and uncertain futures, leading many to wonder if there are any early signs of microcephaly.
After birth, microcephaly is fairly easy to diagnose, although the severity of the condition varies from infant to infant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Boston Children’s Hospital, typical microcephaly symptoms after birth include a head with a circumference two standard deviations below the average, failure to thrive, high-pitched crying, low appetite, and involuntary muscle contractions.
While still in utero, however, diagnosing microcephaly isn’t quite as cut and dry. According to the CDC, “Microcephaly can sometimes be diagnosed with an ultrasound test (which creates pictures of the body).” The CDC recommends going for an ultrasound late in the second trimester or early in the third trimester, although women who have contracted Zika should definitely see their physicians and undergo monitoring and regular ultrasounds as soon as possible.
A new field of cardiac-oncology is rapidly growing to help fight the second leading cause of death among cancer patients
GE Healthcare’s cardiac ultrasound strain assessment software helps quantify left ventricular wall motion to determine if there is damage to cardiac function due to cancer therapy.
Cardio-oncology is an emerging field that combines the expertise of both cardiology and oncology to assess and treat cancer patients for the second leading cause of death among cancer survivors — cardiovascular disease brought on by their treatments. Specific types of chemotherapy and chest-directed radiation therapy are known to cause cardiac dysfunction, mainly due to cardiotoxicity — the symptoms of which may not present until months or even years after cancer treatment.
Certain infections, genetic disorders and birth defects can be identified at an early stage though ultrasound scans. With improved technology and precise diagnostic features, the health of the infant can be monitored from close quarters in the womb, director of Mediscan Systems, Chennai S. Suresh has said.
May 4, 2016 | Josh Farkas
The most widely feared complication of placing a Blakemore tube is complete inflation of the gastric balloon while it is not in the stomach. If the gastric balloon is fully inflated anywhere outside the stomach (i.e. esophagus, trachea, bronchus, duodenum), this may cause visceral perforation.
A patient required Blakemore tube placement due to refractory variceal hemorrhage. With continuous monitoring via transgastric ultrasonography, the Blakemore tube was advanced. The tube could be visualized entering the stomach. When the tube was advanced to a depth of 50 cm, the gastric balloon was inflated with 50ml of air. The balloon was well visualized by ultrasonography to be inflating within the stomach.
Since ultrasonography is not a validated tool to confirm placement in the stomach, an abdominal X-ray was also ordered and waiting at the bedside. A portable X-ray was obtained, which confirmed that the balloon was inflated below the diaphragm.
Abdominal ultrasonography was resumed following the X-ray, but at that point the Blakemore tube could no longer be seen within the stomach. Further evaluation revealed that the tube had been inadvertently withdrawn while positioning the patient after the X-ray. The tube was re-advanced to 50cm, at which point the balloon could again be visualized within the stomach. At this point, the balloon was fully inflated under direct ultrasonographic guidance.
Whether you are a first time mother or your adding a new addition to your family, chances are you have experienced a traditional 2D ultrasound, but no matter what, you can’t wait to sneak a peek of your growing baby — after all, nine months is a long time to wait to catch a glimpse of those itty bitty fingers and toes! Getting a 3D Ultrasound from Quality Mobile Ultrasound can make those anxious feelings go away while helping you bond with your unborn child.
Quality Mobile Ultrasound is proud to announce our Ultrasound Clinic is NOW OPEN and we are excited to provide the community with all of their Ultrasound needs.
We offer self-pay patient rates for in-office visits in addition to continuing to support visits to our partner physician offices
Do you have an Ultrasound order from your physician? If so, please call us at 561-779-3090 to schedule your appointment.
QMU, Kinder Image and The Bump have partnered together to offer the South Florida Community an amazing all-in-one ultrasound and photography package.
QMU strives to provide the highest quality ultrasounds and we take pride in being physicians ultrasound partner. To provide the highest quality ultrasounds, all of our Ultrasound packages are performed by a registered sonographer. The pride we take in being physicians ultrasound partner is what sets our 3D ultrasound apart from the rest by including an OB Limited Ultrasound that is interpreted by a Board Certified Radiologist and the report is sent to expectant mothers physician.
Quality Mobile Ultrasound is proud to announce the published version of our new website. We hope that you will find it to be easy to use and full of information which will help you to make informed, educated decisions with regards to finding services which are important to the health of both you and your family!
