A review of the portable Samsung 4D ultrasound machine
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FACT: The best portable 4D ultrasound systems don’t necessarily have the best overall image nor the fastest frame rate.
It sounds silly, but I’ve seen 4D portables that have good image quality, but they’re virtually useless because 90% of the time, it can’t get an image. It won’t let you drive or guide it into getting an image, which is a key factor in acquiring a good ultrasound image. It’s either a great image or an undefinable blob. There’s nothing in-between… and that in-between factors for about 85% of the scans.
Y0u see, there’s more to 4D than just putting a probe on mom’s belly and bringing the room to tears with joy and elation. It’s more complicated than that. Generating a good 4D babyface image takes a lot of skill and a powerful set of ultrasound controls to truly get the best image. And some machines simply don’t have it.
So while you must have an acceptable image, a machine must couple that with proper image-rendering controls to assist the machine in creating the best 4D image possible.
The MySono U5 has those controls as well as good 4D image quality, which is why I recommend it as a mid-range, affordable 4D portable ultrasound machine.
MySono U5 Feature Review
So besides an acceptable 4D image, the key feature in evaluating any 4D ultrasound machine is to test the quality of image controls and overall customization.
Changing 4D settings can have a dramatic effect on a 4D image. These are the same image with two different settings.
And this is what separates the MySono U5 from other low-price portable 4D ultrasound machines: user control. It has good image a full suite of imaging controls that can be adjusted, customized, and saved as user presets. The image above shows how changing a few controls can have a dramatic impact.
The reason I make a big deal about 4D image control is that there are quite a few low-price 4D portables available, and their capabilities are minimal at best. These machines are reserved for those who would use 4D less than once/twice a week.
As for the non-4D settings, the U5 operates much like similar mid-range ultrasound machines.
The U5 has a 15″ LCD Monitor, speckle reduction filter, full custom controls, Color/PW/Power Doppler, Triplex, Duplex, 3D/4D, 3 USB ports, DICOM, and it’s fully digital.
MySono U5 User/Feature Performance
The imaging and general performance of the MySono U5 is what you’d expect out of a mid-range ultrasound machine in this price range. It has good image quality for OB/GYN/Vascular/Abdominal and is ideal for these types of uses.
Controls are clearly marked and there’s not a lot of searching to figure out what you need to do.
As with any machine, I found most some presets to be great, and others with a something to be desired. Your mileage may vary, but I always suggest that you “play” and get to know how to make the most out of your investment. It’s not too hard. I have a series of articles on optimizing image quality for physicians if you’re not familiar with which controls to use.
Who would buy the Medison MySono U5?
The Samsung-Medison MySono U5 portable 4D ultrasound is something I’d recommend for those in the low-mid-range budget OB/GYN/Vascular or general radiology market looking to add 4D obstetric imaging to their offered services.
Questions or comments about the Samsung-Medison MySono U5? Need help? Drop me a note in the comments below and I’ll answer you here.
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