Binary ultrasonography for the internist: yes or no, that’s the question!

Abstract

The authors discuss the pros and cons with regard to ultrasound for the internist. They state that ultrasonography is seldom used by internists and they suggest several reasons for this. After a brief review of the literature they conclude that using ultrasound would probably benefit patients and would lead to a more rapid diagnosis and an increase in safety while performing invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The authors suggest that internists use ultrasound in a different way compared with radiologists, cardiologists, etc. They introduce the term binary ultrasound: ultrasound should be used to answer clinical questions with a yes or a no.