🗞️ Ultrasound Application News

A new blog post explores a ten-year retrospective study evaluating how contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and strain elastography can improve the diagnosis of focal testicular abnormalities. The study highlights CEUS’s ability to detect malignancy even when Doppler fails and its potential role in supporting testis-sparing decisions. You can read the full blog post here.

📚 Case Study: Abdomen

Background:
This 65-year-old male is referred to the ED for evaluation of a palpable pulsatile mid-abdominal mass. The patient undergoes an abdominal ultrasound.

Please evaluate his abdomen with ultrasound. 👇

Which of the following choices best describes the accompanying sonographic findings in this patient?

A. Gas-filled stomach
B. Small bowel tumor
C. Abdominal aortic aneurysm with mural thrombus
D. Distended bladder

Check out SonoSim Ultrasound Study Tools: QuestionBank Case Studies

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👩‍⚕️ Scanning & Imaging Tips: Bladder Volume Measurements

Accurately measuring bladder volume before and after voiding is key when evaluating suspected urinary retention. Patients may present with suprapubic pain, low urine output, or a palpable lower abdominal mass. Even after voiding, it can be unclear whether the bladder emptied fully. Bedside ultrasound offers a quick, reliable way to assess post-void residual (PVR) volume.

An enlarged prostate can further obstruct outflow and increase PVR, making ultrasound assessment even more important.

How to Measure Bladder Volume

• Start in the transverse plane.
  • Obtain a clear view and measure bladder width (W) and height (H).
• Rotate to sagittal
  • Rotate the transducer (90 degrees) indicator toward the patient’s head and measure bladder length (L).
    Measure the longest diameter (often involves an oblique angle) of the bladder length.
• Let the system calculate volume.
  • Most systems compute volume once all three dimensions are entered.
  • Manual measurements using the formula (H x W x L) / 2 = bladder volume*
  • Bladder volume estimate will be +/- 25% within actual bladder volume  

Example from training:
Pre-void volume measured about 20.2 cc.

After the patient attempted to void, repeating the same steps produced a post-void residual of about 12.2 cc.

Mastering this simple, standardized approach ensures consistent measurements and supports faster decisions when evaluating urinary retention.

Check out Bladder Core Clinical Ultrasound Training

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🧠 Challenge Case of the Month: Kidney & Bladder

Case History: This 86-year-old male with a history of bladder cancer and left ureteral stent presents with elevated creatinine.

Please evaluate his kidneys and bladder with ultrasound.👇

✨ SonoSim Updates

 📝 SonoSim Achieves TX-RAMP Certification

SonoSim has achieved Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) Level 2 certification, demonstrating compliance with Texas state standards for cloud-based services. This achievement confirms our Texas customers can confidently use SonoSim, knowing their data and privacy are protected.


Learn more about what TX-RAMP Level 2 certification means for your institution. Read the blog post

💡 SonoSim Tips & Tricks

📝 Ultrasound worksheets are a great way to communicate key findings during an ultrasound exam, like measurements, abnormalities, and views obtained. Documenting on your worksheet can also give you time to review your images, ensuring proper documentation and that no required images are missed.

🔎 Why They Matter:

✅ Ensure no views or findings are missed
📝 Standardize documentation across teams
🧠 Help reinforce anatomical structures & pathological findings

Useful in clinical practice or as part of ultrasound training, especially in hands-on sessions or case reviews, worksheets can be a great resource in your ultrasound exam workflow.

😂 LOLtrasound

IB: @laurenscansandreads