Ultrasound scanner the size of a mobile phone
By Nick Collins Published: 7:30AM GMT 18 Feb 2010
The Vscan device, which has been launched in Europe and North America, can be used to take images of the heart and other parts of the body.
Doctors say the hand-held machine, which looks like a cross between a flip-top phone and an iPod, could be useful outside the hospital, for example in doctors" surgeries, in homes or on military operations.
Obese gowns for hospital patients are wider than car Laptop the size of a purse launched by Sony Bootcamp 545 - Mobile Broadband Ofcom CEO Ed Richards answers your questions Why you get wetter in drizzle than downpour ? small rain drops fall faster than bigThe developers of the £5,000 machine, GE Healthcare, say it is designed to offer a fast diagnosis and enable early treatment, rather than as an alternative to traditional scanners.
George Sutherland, professor of cardiac imaging at St George"s, London, the first doctor in Britain to use the machine, said: "In terms of clinical practice it"s a huge step forward.
"We"re giving people essentially an electronic stethoscope in their pocket ... with adequate training this should mean we can diagnose rapidly and treat accordingly. It should be an amazing development."
