In the past few years, researchers have demonstrated musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound's portability and ease of use by sending the modality into outer space and, most recently, to the sidelines of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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Doctors used the Logiqi compact ultra-
sound unit to help Heather Mitts, a
defender on the USA Women's National
Soccer Team, recover from an anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and prepare
for the 2008 Olympic Games.
image courtesy GE Healthcare
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Scott Dulchavsky, MD, PhD, chairman of surgery and surgeon in chief at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital as well as a NASA flight surgeon, teamed up with Houston's National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) in 2006 to train astronauts to use MSK ultrasound in space. "Along with the affordability of MSK ultrasound, [Dr. Dulchavsky] recognized that we can video stream the ultrasound images in real time, not only from institution to institution but also from outer space to Earth," says Antonio J. Bouffard, MD, senior staff radiologist at Henry Ford
After just two to four hours of training, astronauts could perform their own ultrasound exams from the international space station, where a high-quality, real-time ultrasound image was transmitted via satellite to Mission Control. Using the transmitted image, physicians guided the astronauts through the exam.
Upon proving MSK ultrasound's value outside the earth's atmosphere, the Henry Ford physicians began considering other possibilities, including sideline applications during the world's largest athletic competition. "MSK ultrasound is great for soft-tissue injuries, including sports injuries, so we thought, 'Why don't we start linking this up with the Olympics?'" says Dr. Bouffard.
Last year, Dr. Bouffard, Dr. Dulchavsky and Marnix T. van Holsbeeck, Henry Ford's chief of musculoskeletal ultrasound, attended the Beijing Olympics to demonstrate how health monitoring and early intervention using MSK ultrasound can prevent injury and enhance the health and performance of athletes.
The research study confirmed that MSK ultrasound is useful for detecting injuries after they occur and also for finding injuries before they cause pain or problems. For example, incidences of jumper's knee are fairly common in male and female professional soccer players. "[The results of the study] make us rethink the way we are looking at injuries," says Dr. van Holsbeeck. "When you do an MSK ultrasound exam, sometimes you find injuries that may not be the direct source of the patient's pain. Now we can be more cautious about what we record, because you never know what could.come to life."
In addition, MSK ultrasound exams proved convenient for the athletes and their attending physicians. "You can do [an MSK ultrasound exam] right there [on the sports field]," says Dr. van Holsbeeck. "You don't have to transport the athletes to a hospital, and you don't have to disrupt their training program."
Henry Ford physicians and their sponsors plan to use the alternative imaging modality on the sidelines of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC, Can. What comes next is anyone's guess.
Indeed, MSK ultrasound continues to outperform traditional MSK imaging modalities such as MRI and CT in terms of portability. "We'll never have MRI in space," says Dr. Bouffard. "And how many MRI units are going to be in the sub-Saharan desert, in Antarctica or at the base camp on Mt. Everest? None. We know that we can take [MSK ultrasound] to the limits of the earth." And beyond.
-Heather Simons