Ultrasound imaging in research and clinical medicine.

The use of ultrasound imaging in clinical obstetrics continues to grow at an almost exponential rate. Ultrasound imaging in developmental biology has only begun to be used to enhance the traditional methodologies to study the developing embryo/fetus. The various modalities of ultrasound imaging are reviewed as they apply to current uses in clinical obstetrics and developmental biologic research. New modalities are also discussed in both clinical obstetrics and developmental biologic research as well as the current limitations of ultrasound imaging faced in both of these fields.