Ultrasonography managed by internists: the stethoscope of 21st century?

Ultrasonography in the hands of the internist can answer important clinical questions quickly at the point of patient care. This technique "enhances" the senses of the physicians and improves their ability to solve the problems of the patient. Point of care ultrasonography performed by clinicians has shown good accuracy in the diagnosis of diverse cardiac, abdominal and vascular pathologic conditions. It may also be useful for evaluation of thyroid, osteoarticular and soft tissue diseases. Furthermore, the use of ultrasound to guide invasive procedures (placement of venous catheters, thoracentesis, paracentesis) reduces the risk of complications. We present 5 cases to illustrate the usefulness of this technique in clinical practice: (i) peripartum cardiomyopathy; (ii) subclinical carotid artery atherosclerosis; (iii) asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm; (iv) tendinitis of long head of biceps brachii and supraspinatus, and (v) spontaneous soleus muscle hematoma.