Linear transducers are great for soft tissue applications except when the pathology is really close to the probe itself (It has something to do with fancy physics and how the probe doesn’t always get a great picture unless the thing you’re looking at is a few mm’s from the probe). This is especially important when imaging the hands or feet.
There are many ways to help move the structure you’re looking at (let say, a splinter in the sole of the foot) a small distance from the transducer to increase the resolution: You could use a commercial stand-off pad, a lot of gel, or a water bath. With regards to a water bath, you can place your patients foot/hand in a basin full of water, but that can be messy and you can’t really image the sole of the foot that way. Enter: The SONOSOCK! Jessica Adkins, MD came up with a novel application of an emesis bag for imaging the hands and feet. Check it out below!
There definitely are other ways you can create stand-off pads, and Dr. Adkins does a great job reviewing all of them. We talked about a sweet lateral water bath technique created by Dr. Jenn Cotton previously on the podcast. Check out the YT video on it below:
If you would like more teaching on soft tissue ultrasound, check out the following links below:
