By DANIEL ROSENBER
Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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April 26, 2005; Page D7

CHICAGO -- Glenn Bock will use a new screening tool to identify children and teenagers with urinary problems in central Pennsylvania, where he practices pediatric nephrology.

In the past, Dr. Bock would have had to make appointments for each child outside of his office in order to get images of their kidneys with standard ultrasound devices, which weigh hundreds of pounds.

But with a hand-held ultrasound device that weighs less than eight pounds and is about the size of a laptop computer, Dr. Bock can save time by doing the ultrasounds himself. "We're using the device diagnostically and to look at outcomes," said Dr. Bock, who works at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. "It's a really key component to evaluate these children." The program is just getting under way.

Physicians say new hand-held ultrasound devices -- which can be used in a number of applications including cardiology, nephrology, emergency medicine, anesthesiology and surgery -- are easy to use and can deliver quality images.

Catherine Otto, a professor of medicine at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, uses a hand-held model. "The best person looking at the images is usually the person taking care of the patient," she said. Dr. Otto, a cardiologist, says the hand-held device lets her see heart muscle and measure blood flow. "I use it in the clinic and in the intensive-care unit," Dr. Otto said.

Both doctors use a device made by SonoSite Inc. called the MicroMaxx, which is competing with the Logiq Book and Vivid i, both made by GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric Co. SonoSite sells about two-thirds of all hand-held ultrasound devices, with GE second at 25%.

The field is a growing one. Omar Ishrak, president and chief executive of GE Healthcare Clinical Systems, expects the market for traditional ultrasound devices to continue growing at a rate of around 4% to 5% a year. He thinks hand-held devices can increase at least 25% a year for the next five years.

"Once a group of physicians such as emergency-room doctors really start using it, it will grow exponentially," Mr. Ishrak said. However, Mr. Ishrak says there will always be a place for the larger devices, noting that more-sophisticated technology can be packed into them.

SonoSite's new device is expected to cost $40,000 to $60,000, compared with $150,000 and up for the high-end ultrasound systems that are much larger and aren't portable.

The larger devices, which have the capacity to provide three-dimensional and 4D imaging, are made mostly by GE, Philips Electronics NV and Siemens AG.

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