Portable MSK ultrasound, proven on real tendon and joint scans

For sports medicine and orthopedics the Suresult L14Pro is the strongest fit. Its 10/14 MHz head steps to 80 mm, which covers the Achilles and the rotator cuff. For superficial tendon and small-joint detail the L20Pro runs 16/20 MHz. Where MSK shares the probe with abdominal or lung work, the D3Ultra carries a linear and a convex head.

Frequency buys resolution and costs depth. A 16/20 MHz probe such as the L20Pro images from 10 mm to 40 mm, which suits finger tendons, small-joint capsules and superficial nerves. A 10/14 MHz probe such as the L14Pro reaches 80 mm, which is what a shoulder or a deep bursa needs. Most general MSK practices start at 10/14 MHz.

A Suresult linear scanner with color Doppler and pulsed-wave Doppler costs between $2,139 and $3,720, with software included and duties inside the checkout price. Published competing figures, before any subscription: $3,795 for the Clarius L15 HD3 and $5,395 for the Clarius L20 HD3. The Butterfly iQ3 lists at $3,899 and the GE Vscan Air CL from $4,999.

For a full-thickness rotator cuff tear, ultrasound is accurate. A 2015 meta-analysis in Br J Sports Med reported sensitivity and specificity above 0.90 for ultrasound, MRI and MR arthrography in full-thickness tears. Partial tears and tendinopathy showed lower sensitivity, between 0.67 and 0.83, across all three modalities. The authors concluded that considering accuracy, cost and safety, ultrasound is the best option.

Yes. A Suresult handheld prints the puncture guide's position and angle on screen, so the trajectory is set before the needle moves. In-plane and out-of-plane guides and a grid overlay ship on every Suresult linear model. Needle enhancement, which brightens the shaft along the beam, ships on the L14Pro, L20Pro, L10SH, L10H, L20 and D3Ultra.

It improved placement in a randomized trial of 184 patients with inflammatory arthritis. A trainee rheumatologist using ultrasound guidance placed 83% of injections accurately, against 66% for more senior rheumatologists guided by clinical examination. The same trial found no difference in short-term symptom outcome between the two groups.

The L14Pro reaches 80 mm at 10/14 MHz, which covers the supraspinatus and the subacromial space in most adults. For a deeper hip the L10SH and the L10H both step to 100 mm on a 40 mm linear footprint. The D3Ultra adds a convex head that reaches 300 mm for a pericapsular hip view.

The Achilles sits 5 mm to 20 mm below the skin, which a 10 MHz linear array resolves at 20 mm depth. A Suresult handheld records the tendon in long axis with the fibrillar pattern running the length of the screen. Calipers in the app put a thickness number on it.

Yes. The Suresult app holds a live image beside a frozen frame, so the contralateral side stays on screen while scanning continues. Asymmetry is what separates a pathologically thickened tendon from a naturally thick one, and the comparison is saved as one frame.

Add the device price to five years of any membership fee, then add import duties where the list price is US-only. The Clarius Essentials membership at $695 per year reaches $3,475 by year five. Butterfly's Advanced plan at $420 per year reaches $2,100. Suresult scanners carry no subscription.

Yes. A popliteal cystic structure measuring 29.8 mm by 15.9 mm was recorded on a Suresult D3Ultra at 10 MHz. Anechoic fluid inside a joint recess or a bursa is one of the clearest findings on a high-frequency linear probe.

Yes. Every Suresult scanner on this page saves stills and cine loops of 100 to 1,000 frames, and exports as DICOM, JPEG, PNG or MP4. Export is part of the included software, so no plan upgrade is needed to put a scan into the record.

A physiotherapy or sports clinic scanning tendons and ligaments daily is served by the L14Pro, which pairs 10/14 MHz with a 4-hour scanning battery. A clinic that does not need 256 elements can start with the L14 at 192 elements, and add the L20Pro later when superficial detail becomes the limit.

The Suresult L14Pro is a linear probe at 10/14 MHz with depth steps of 20, 40, 60 and 80 mm across a 25 mm footprint. It holds 256 elements on 64 channels, with B-mode, color Doppler, power Doppler, pulsed-wave Doppler and M-mode, and weighs 145 g.