SDMS Sound News

December 31, 2000
Volume 2, Issue 12

Table of Contents

1. It's Official: Society's Name Changes

On January 1, 2001, the Society's name will officially become the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The SDMS Board of Directors had proposed the name change for the society to more accurately reflect the scope and support of the profession by the Society. The legal name had been "Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers." The new name will now begin appearing on official documents from the Society but in some cases, the old name will still appear as we exhaust our supply of letterhead, envelopes, etc.

2. JDMS Preview

The Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS) officially launches it's new look with the January/February issue. The new editor, Jean Lea Spitz, and SDMS staff have been working closely with the new publisher, Sage Publications to enhance this important SDMS member benefit.

The first issue of the redesigned journal should arrive in your mailboxes around February 1. To preview what's in the upcoming issue, visit:

AND watch for the January, 2001 issue of Sound News with important instructions on how SDMS members can obtain JDMS CME credits free online and how to access the complete text of future JDMS articles online.

3. Ultrasound is Out of This World

The February, 2001 launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery will include ultrasound equipment destined for the International Space Station (ISS). This ultrasound equipment will be capable of high resolution imaging in a wide range of applications, both research and diagnostic. It will perform two dimensional (2D), M-mode, Spectral Doppler, Color Doppler, Color Power Angiography, Continuous Wave Doppler, and Color M-mode. It will record analog and digital images locally and downlink both analog and digital images. It will also allow for stereo, audio output and voice annotation by the ISS crew.

Ultrasound has been used in previous missions to study decompression sickness during extravehicular activities and to study orthostatic intolerance, the cardiovascular system's inability to provide adequate blood flow to the brain while standing (at times has affected 60% of crewmembers returning from a mission). And Earth-bound humans have benefited from ultrasound technologies developed or adapted for in-flight use. For example, a portable bladder monitor was developed which senses fullness of the bladder. Patients who suffer from spinal cord injury, strokes, and diabetes commonly lose the sensation of bladder fullness, and this can lead to urine retention and subsequent kidney infection. In addition, this problem commonly has been observed in some mentally handicapped who cannot understand the bladder fullness sensation. The portable bladder monitor utilizes NASA and Langley Research Center's ultrasound technology that obtains full bladder data from sound waves reflecting off the bladder wall. Sound waves reflect off the bladder, which has certain characteristics depending on the size and shape of the bladder.

To learn more about ultrasound in space, search the NASA web site at:

4. Renew Your SDMS Membership: FREE!

There is still time to get your 2001 SDMS membership renewal free with the SDMS Member-Get-A-Member (MGAM) Program. By recruiting new members, you can earn points toward a one year membership renewal and earn an opportunity to win a free trip to next year's SDMS Annual Conference in Las Vegas (Oct. 11-14, 2001).

SDMS must continue to grow to ensure that we have an active hand in guiding the future of sonography. Please help us meet our goal of 3500 new members by recruiting colleagues who are not members of SDMS. You'll be helping your colleagues to grow professionally and SDMS to grow stronger while you become eligible for a number of great incentives.

The deadline for this year's MGAM program is March 31, 2001!

5. Ghana Ultrasound Update

As reported in the May, 2000 issue of SDMS Sound News, SDMS member, Ann Polin, was granted a one year sabbatical from her position as Program Chair at Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Washington to teach and perform diagnostic ultrasound for the year in Ghana, Africa.

Ann is now searching for a volunteer to come forward to take her place in Ghana as ultrasound teacher after she leaves next July. If anyone is interested, they may email her at charna@africaonline.com.gh or apolin@bcc.ctc.edu for further details.

If you would like to read more about her adventures in Africa, visit:

6. History of Ultrasound Available Online

The Ultrasound-History Forum & Archives, a collaborative effort between the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography and OBGYN.net is now available online. The forum is for individuals involved in the beginning years of medical ultrasound to post recollections and comments about those years. The area will also contain historical articles, images, and interviews with comment links to the forum. Articles, images, and scans can be submitted for peer-review publication, or individuals are welcome to add their recollections or comments about the history of medical ultrasound. It is anticipated that this forum/section will become a "polybiography" (by the many, about the many events) of medical sonographic history.

7. News & Notes

Our News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org.

• Clinton Signs Telemedicine Legislation
  http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?sec=nws&sub=thd&pag=1071
• New Ergonomic Keyboard Relieves Wrist Pain
  http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/00/pr0081.htm
• Ultrasound Criteria in the Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
  http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=ult&Pag=def&Art=2185
• Metastatic Tumors to the Breast: Ultrasonographic Findings
  http://www.usreview.com.au/June%202000.htm#Metastatic
• Duplex of the intertransverse segment of the vertebral artery
  http://www.usreview.com.au/mar2000.htm#ntertransverse
• Ultrasound Alters Clinical Management of Nodular Thyroid Disease
  http://www.auntminnie.com/index.asp?Sec=sup&Sub=ult&Pag=def&Art=1925

8. Important Dates