Ultrasound Advanced Techniques and Technologies

The UCSF ultrasound subspecialty performs the full array of ultrasound procedures, from general abdominal and fetal ultrasonography to the most advanced techniques, including color-flow doppler scans, ultrasonographically guided biopsies and aspirations, and endovaginal and endoscopic studies.

High Resolution Equipment

All UCSF ultrasonography facilities are equipped with the most up to date high resolution 2D, 3D, 4D grayscale and color-flow doppler scanning equipment.

High Resolution Imaging - UCSF Medical

Portable Tools

Doppler Ultrasound - UCSF MedicalUltrasound equipment is portable, which gives us the ability to bring the equipment to the bedside in the Intensive Care Unit to perform an imaging study on a patient in an unstable condition.  Also, in cases where it might be dangerous for a patient to undergo a CT or MR exam, the patient can still be imaged using ultrasound equipment, which can be brought to the bedside. In the delivery room or operating room, ultrasound specialists may perform ultrasound-guided fine needle and core biopsies, aspirations, and highly specialized ultrasound-guided fetal interventions.

Crossing Disciplines

The UCSF Ultrasound Subspecialty participates in multi-disciplinary programs that benefit patients and doctors.

UCSF’s weekly Fetal Treatment Conferences promote cross modality and cross expertise.  A referring doctor can request that his or her patient be presented to a multidisciplinary team of physicians by consulting with the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center, contact is Jody Farrell, RN at (415) 476-0445 or by email at [email protected].  The Fetal Treatment Conferences are jointly hosted by the UCSF Departments of Ultrasound, Pediatric Surgery, Neonatology and Maternal Fetal Medicine.

UCSF’s Gynecological and Obstetrics conferences are two multi-center conferences that occur monthly which are teaching focused. 

National and International Reputation

UCSF’s ultrasound subspecialty physicians have earned national and international recognition for their research, which includes:

  • Hundreds of papers on fetal and pregnancy related diagnoses. See bibliography.
  • Ultrasound ResearchPractice-changing research, New England Journal of Medicine article (pdf).
  • Major contributions to sonographic observations used and endorsed by national societies for screening of the fetal central nervous system.
  • Advancing techniques for radiofrequency treatment of acardiac twins and laser ablation of placental communications in monochorionic twins with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) as well as surgery for fetal spina bifida (in collaboration with the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center.
  • Comparative effectiveness studies that have included important papers on interpretation of pelvic and endovaginal ultrasound studies.
  • Significant contributions to one of the most widely read textbook, "Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology", on the topic of fetal and pregnancy related diagnoses.

Callen’s Textbook on Ultrasound - UCSF Medical