Page 45 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Spring 2017
P. 45
Figure 1 Commercially available glucomannan powder Figure 3 Comparison of standard extended focused
supplement. assessment with sonography. Right upper quadrant views,
using (A) standard ultrasound gel and (B) glucomannan-
based gel.
(A)
Figure 2 Glucomannan powder (1 tsp) in (A) a plastic
bag and (B) after reconstitution with 0.25L of water, on
a transducer.
(A) (B) (B)
4A) and with glucomannan gel (Figure 4B), using a high-
frequency linear transducer. Figure 5 shows a standard The cost of a 227g bottle of glucomannan ranges from
parasternal long cardiac view obtained with standard $11 to $15, as compared with $3 to $5 per 0.25L bottle
transmission gel (Figure 5A) and with glucomannan gel of standard transmission gel. However, when reconsti-
(Figure 5B), using a low-frequency phased array trans- tuted, a single 227g bottle of glucomannan can produce
ducer. The images appear nearly identical in resolution, the volume equivalent of nearly 50 standard transmis-
detail, and overall quality with either transducer. sion gel bottles, making the cost per 227g of gel approx-
imately $0.30. Glucomannan powder can be carried in
These images suggest that glucomannan can be used as lightweight, waterproof plastic bags and then be com-
an effective ultrasound transmission gel medium without bined with room-temperature water as needed at the
compromising image quality when performing high- and/ time of examination, and done so in only the amounts
or low-frequency ultrasound examinations or procedures. required to complete the examination. Additionally, no
Because it can be carried in powder form, glucomannan is heat source is required to constitute glucomannan pow-
considerably more lightweight and lacks the bulk of com- der, as is required with the gel alternative made with
mercial ultrasound transmission gel and of previously corn starch.
tested gel alternatives such as hand sanitizer and olive oil.
Unlike the alcohol-based hand sanitizer found to offer Once constituted, the glucomannan gel has a limited
high-quality sonographic images comparable to standard shelf-life of 2 days before its ideal viscosity degrades,
ultrasound gel, glucomannan will not evaporate quickly which should be considered a limiting factor of gluco-
while performing the sonographic examination, thereby mannan. Additionally, if not used after several days,
eliminating the need for reapplication of medium. 9 bacterial growth can occur. However, even commercial
New Ultrasound Transmission Gel 23
