Portable ultrasound devices are gaining popularity due to their ease of use and the ability to quickly provide a medical check-up. There are thousands of handheld ultrasound devices for home use in the market right now and when you want to buy one, you may get overwhelmed after seeing that many options. We made a list by choosing the best handheld ultrasound device for home use from each of the top ultrasound manufacturers.
Clarius L15
L15 is a handheld ultrasound device for home use made by Clarius, one of the best ultrasound machine manufacturers. This device weighs only 358g and its frequency is between 5-15 MHz. Its applications include breast, plastic surgery, vascular, nerve, MSK, lungs, nerves, and small parts like Thyroid. It can easily connect with WiFi and is compatible with both iOS and Android devices; it’s also compatible with DICOM modalities and cloud storage. It takes only 90 minutes to charge and its scan time is an hour. Clarius recommends its maximum exam time to 20 minutes.
Butterfly iQ
Butterfly iQ is an FDA approved chip-based handheld ultrasound device that weighs only 313g. It’s compatible with both iOS and Android and can store data in the cloud or in DICOM. Its modes are Color Doppler, Power Doppler, B-Mode, M-Mode. This device can be used to treat diseases related to the abdomen, bladder, aorta, gallbladder, cardiac, lungs, MSK, nerves, obstetric, vascular, and small organs. Its single probe provides a 2D array of 9000 micro-machined sensors that emulate any type of transducer. It supports both built-in battery charging and wireless charging and it can scan for more than two hours. Its design is aesthetically pleasing and its price is lower than other handheld ultrasound devices.
GE VSCAN Extend
GE VSCAN Extend is a handheld ultrasound device that can fit into your pocket. It has a touchscreen interface like smartphones and tablets, and it comes in a dual probe configuration. A lot of diseases can be treated by GE VSCAN Extend, e.g. cardiac, carotids, abdomen, thyroid, lungs, MSK, small parts, OB/GYN, etc. It can easily show the medical images of the patient’s inside into the phone it’s connected to or share them via WiFi to the clouds or any PACS or DICOM modality. Its color modes are 2D, M-mode, M-color Flow Mode, and it weighs only 321g.
Philips Lumify C5-2
With a 5 to 2MHz frequency range, this device can be used for deeper ultrasound images that include abdominal, gallbladder, lung imaging, and OB/GYN. Its imaging modes include 2D, M-Mode, and color Doppler. It’s compatible with Android devices and DICOM modalities. The Lumify app lets the doctors meet patients at the point-of-care, and make a faster diagnosis.
Conclusion
Portable ultrasound devices have changed the ultrasound market forever and with the advent of handheld ultrasound devices, the change will continue. These small devices still cannot do all the things that their larger counterparts can but they are getting there.
