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Pierre Curie discovers piezoelectricity
Many consider this to be the point in history when the idea of ultrasonography was conceived. Pierre and his brother Jacques found that when pressure is applied to certain crystals, they generate electrical voltage. Reciprocally, when placed in an electric field these same crystals become compressed. The brothers created the piezoelectric quartz electrometer which was able to measure faint electric currents. -
Paul Langevin invents the hydrophone
Inspired by the sinking of the Titanic, Paul Langevin wanted to create something that would allow for the detection of icebergs. He created an ultrasound transducer that contained thin quartz crystals cemented between two steel plates. It was housed in a submersible case and also had the capability of indicating direction. As World War I began, this device became a key element in detecting submarines. -
A-mode ultrasound is primarily used.
From the 1920-1930s, A-mode or amplitude mode was used to find the depth of an organ and estimate the organ's dimensions. The received echo was processed as a vertical reflection of a point. The resulting display showed the amplitude spikes of different heights. The intensity of the spikes and the time it took to receive them created a graph. A-mode is still used today to measure bone density. -
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Ultrasound starts to become integrated into the medical field
1920s-1930s: Ultrasound was used for physical therapy (primarily for members of Europe’s soccer teams), for sterilization of vaccines, and for cancer therapy in combination with radiation therapy. 1940s: Seen as a cure-all. Ultrasound was used for everything from arthritic pains to gastric ulcers and eczema. -
Dr. Karl Dussik becomes the first physician to employ ultrasound in medical diagnosis
Karl Dussik, a neurologist and a psychiatrist attempted to locate brain tumors by placing transducers on both sides of the patient's head and partially submerging the patient in water. Sound waves were transmitted towards the patient's head and the echoes were recorded on heat sensitive paper creating the first ultrasound images that he termed "hyperphonography". -
Dr. George Lewig performs the first abdominal ultrasounds
George experimented with the ultrasound characteristics of various organs and tissues from both animals and humans by using many different frequencies and methods. He implanted gallstones in the back muscles and gallbladders of three different dogs and then observed how the sound waves changed as they reflected off of the stones and came back to the transducer. He also did ultrasound studies to detect kidney stones in the body. -
Douglas Howry concentrates on B-mode development.
B-mode allowed for actual images to be created based on the brightness levels in the image. The brightness levels are determined by the time it took for the transducer to emit energy and then to receive the echo from the targeted mass. Motion can also be shown based on the variations of intensity in the pulses emitted and reflected back to the transducer. Howry helped create a machine that produced 2-D images and had a transducer, eliminating the need for the patient to be submerged in water. -
Dr. John Wild and John Reid perform the first breast ultrasound
Wild and Reid created the first handheld b-mode device that was able to swing side to side. Gain or sensitivity was able to be integrated into the device allowing acurate tissue thicknesses to be estimated in the breast and also the visualization of tumors and breast cancer. -
Devices to perform Continuous Wave Doppler are developed.
Robert Rushmer and engineers Dean Franklin and Don Baker worked to create devices that allowed them to evaluate the cardiovascular systems in dogs that were not put under anesthesia. This lead to the creation of a handheld deivce that allowed for continuous wave doppler to be done. By 1963, they had developed spectral analysis from the CW doppler based on the time-interval histogram and also created the first fetal pulse detector called the Doptone. -
Ian Donald pioneers obstetric ultrasound.
A-mode imaging was used to study lumps, cysts, and fibroids in the body. Donald was able to diagnose an ovarian cyst in a woman who was previously thought to have stomach cancer. He helped created the world's first contact compound 2D ultrasound machine called the Diasonograph. Once B-mode had been developed, the machine allowed for the assessment of fetal growth and development as well as the detection of complications such as fetal abnormalities, placenta hemorrhaging, and multiple pregnancies -
3D Ultrasound was created.
3D Ultrasound Description3D ultrasound was created by Olaf von Ramm and Stephen Smith at Duke University. In 3D imaging, ultrasound waves are directed from multiple angles and the waves are reflected back and captured. A 3-dimensional image is then constructed. 3D ultrasound is commomly used to demonstrate superficial fetal defects such as facial clefts, to determine the volume of the fetal heart and demonstrate cardiac anatomy and movement in slow motion, and to show congenital abnormalities of the uterus. -
4D Ultrasound is created.
4D Ultrasound3D ultrasound was further developed in the 1990's with the addition of the element of time resulting in multiple images being taken in quick sequence to give the effect of motion or real time imaging. It can be useful in showing congenital development abnormalities or conditions in the fetus and can also show blood flow through arteries and veins to determine if fetal organs are working correctly. Fetal behavior can also be assessed to determine if the CNS is developing adequately.
