Ultrasound for Everyone?

Since Tom Cruise bought an ultrasound machine so he could view his unborn spawn at his leisure, doctors have been worried that mere mortal (but wealthy) families will want to follow suit buy purchasing their own in utero viewing devices. The concern is that an untrained operator could cause some sort of injury.

Danit Lidor at Forbes.com reports that rich folk could be even more tempted to buy their own ultrasound machine now that GE's $55,000 Volusion i has been approved by the FDA.

Lidor describes it thusly:

… an 11-pound, laptop-sized portable "4D" ultrasound machine, received FDA clearance. Three-dimensional and four-dimensional ultrasounds -- four dimensional ultrasounds are supposed to portray real-time movement -- are increasingly popular with parents who want realistic pictures of their children-to-be instead of the grainy black-and-white images from traditional ultrasounds.

Technically, 3D and 4D ultrasounds are no better than traditional 2D at detecting fetal abnormalities -- the real reason doctors perform ultrasounds or sonograms. But the 3D and 4D machines are in higher demand. The Voluson i, which sells for about half the price of other 4D models, is designed to capitalize on these two major trends: the need for portable, less expensive machines and the general preference for 3D/4D imaging.

There's also the worry that the new machine could become part of a renegade ultrasound market:

Though Bresenham (Terri, vice president and general manager of Global Diagnostic Ultrasound for GE Healthcare) says GE only sells its equipment to licensed medical practitioners, the company will have to be extra careful about who buys the new device. Even before Cruise's ultrasound purchase made national news, the 4D ultrasound market was somewhat controversial. Hundreds of small businesses throughout the U.S., targeting the average American who can't afford her own ultrasound machine, have used 4D ultrasound machines to sell "keepsake" photos and videos for about $250.

The FDA told Lidor it doesn't approve of this sort of ultrasound abuse, but the agency hasn't made it illegal. The California State Assembly, however, passed a bill last week saying manufacturers can only sell ultrasound devices to licensed practitioners.

Image of licensed practitioner using ultrasound courtesy Philips Research.