The role of the ultrasound system in the continued evolution of primary care

Today's primary care practices are witnessing the dawning of the "age of the ultrasound system." More and more general practitioners (GPs) are performing scans to aid in the diagnosis of a wide range of conditions, from abdominal issues to musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. A recent targeted research study indicates that nearly half of all GPs are integrating ultrasound into their practices,¹ supporting its viability as a diagnostic solution that improves treatment speed and quality and reduces healthcare costs.² 

Driving this continued proliferation among GPs is ultrasound's versatility of application and the degree to which it can expand practices' scope of care. The ability to proactively diagnose conditions across so many areas of specialization can 1) help augment care for current patients, 2) position a practice to serve new populations as demographics change, and 3) support expansion to other facilities. 

Current ultrasound technology allows GPs to treat patients more comprehensively, in-office, across all stages of life. From early fetal development and dating ultrasounds through adult and geriatric abdominal, cardiac and MSK scans later in life, today's GPs can leverage ultrasound to offer continuous care and diagnostic precision. 

Let's examine primary care ultrasound's most significant impacts on health outcomes to date and discuss what this technology's introduction could mean for your practice. 

Abdominal ultrasound in primary care 

One of the most common uses of ultrasound among GPs is the evaluation of abdominal symptoms.³ In one major study, abdominal imaging accounted for nearly 70% of all scans captured by doctors. GPs can perform abdominal scans to detect and diagnose a number of health issues that originate with abdominal symptoms. 

Clinicians in primary care environments also use abdominal scans to detect issues in the liver and gall bladder,⁴ including fatty liver, hemangiomas, biliary dilatation, choledocholithiasis, cholelithiasis, and renal abnormalities. This improves the odds of early detection, which in turn allows for more proactive care, better patient outcomes, and fewer referrals to external imaging specialists. 

Early detection and management of thyroid issues 

Ultrasound is also commonly utilized to evaluate thyroid nodules, thyroid size, and thyroid gland abnormalities, supporting diagnoses of disorders such as thyroiditis, goiters, and potential thyroid malignancies. An established and growing body of international and domestic research indicates that the American College of Radiology Thyroid Reporting and Data Systems (ACR®-TIRADS®) classification can assist in thyroid nodule diagnosis and reduce the frequency of unnecessary invasive biopsies.⁵ 

While thyroid ultrasound has traditionally been the purview of imaging specialists and endocrinologists, today's more intuitive systems, which offer thyroid-specific productivity tools and other user-friendly features, make scans more manageable for GPs. 

The emergence of cardiac ultrasound in primary care 

Research also suggests that focused ultrasound can viably detect cardiac abnormalities and improve treatment plan timelines. Cardiac scans provided findings that helped change the predetermined course of care; one study revealed that cardiac ultrasound helped GPs detect aortic stenosis and cardiac failure when it was missed in previous clinical examinations.⁶ 

Newer users can also deploy cardiac ultrasound to check ventricular function⁷ and detect abnormalities (e.g., ventricular hypertension (LVH), valvular insufficiency, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), septal defects, and ejection fraction issues, while also diagnosing heart failure more quickly.⁸ 

Breast ultrasound in primary care 

As women continue to battle escalating rates of breast cancer,⁹ early detection is critical to optimizing treatment outcomes, prognosis, and quality of life. Unfortunately, there continue to be gaps in detection for this incredibly time-sensitive condition.¹⁰ 

Just as with thyroid disease, today's most advanced ultrasound systems equip GPs to perform breast scans more confidently, via specialized probes and productivity tools that leverage Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS®)* criteria. 

Maternal-child health scans, now in GPs' hands 

Obstetrics represents another application for primary care ultrasound functions. Recent innovations in ultrasound technology enable even newer users to detect early pregnancy, fetal anatomy, growth and measurements, and pelvic and ovarian abnormalities. Automated tools available on some of the latest systems help new ultrasound users simplify standard fetal measurements while optimizing and analyzing color flow and image quality.