Medical ultrasonic imaging.

The development of ultrasonic imaging techniques is by no means finished even today. The morphological display of anatomical cross-sections has already reached a high standard and is characterized by the realization of real-time compound scanners. Automated water-bath scanners, either compound or single pass, are intended to help ultrasound to play a more dominant role in mammography, especially as a screening method, although at present it cannot be used very efficiently for this purpose. Considerable progress can be expected with the increasing use of computer facilities, especially digital signal-processing techniques. They should not only further improve image fidelity and intelligibility, but also the comfort of the handling. A major step forward will be the implementation of objective transducer-independent tissue-differentiation facilities into imaging devices. The development of alternative ultrasonic imaging techniques like the transmission camera should increase the scope of ultrasonic application rather than compete with B-scan imaging.