Highlights of the development in ultrasound during the last 70 years: A historical review

This review looks at highlights of the development in ultrasound, ranging from interventional ultrasound and Doppler to the newest techniques like contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography, and gives reference to some of the valuable articles in Acta Radiologica. Ultrasound equipment is now available in any size and for any purpose, ranging from handheld devices to high-end devices, and the scientific societies include ultrasound professionals of all disciplines publishing guidelines and recommendations. Interventional ultrasound is expanding the field of use of ultrasound-guided interventions into nearly all specialties of medicine, from ultrasound guidance in minimally invasive robotic procedures to simple ultrasound-guided punctures performed by general practitioners. Each medical specialty is urged to define minimum requirements for equipment, education, training, and maintenance of skills, also for medical students. The clinical application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography is a topic often seen in current research settings.

Role of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on lumbar spondylolysis: a systematic review

Objective: To systematically review the role of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on lumbar spondylolysis. Method: Literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PEDro and Scopus databases to identify relevant studies published between 2010 and 2020 by using medical subject headings and applying Booleans, such as low-intensity pulsed ultrasound OR interventional ultrasound AND lumbar spine OR lumbar region AND spondylolysis OR stress fracture. Unpublished studies were hand-searched in the journals, abstracts of conferences were reviewed, and citation index was used for searching experts in the field and then contacting them for information. Studies included were the ones that had at least one of the following outcomes: bone union rate, treatment period to bone union and time to return to previous activities. Results: Of the 243 studies identified, 228(94%) were full text articles and only 2(0.8%) studies were critically appraised for qualitative synthesis based on bone union rate, treatment period to bone union, and time to return to previous activities. Conclusion: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound was found to be effective for bone union and a useful therapy for quick return to playing sports in patients with lumbar spondylolysis. Key Words: Lumbar region, Spondylolysis, Interventional ultrasound, Systematic review.