Ultrasound Proves an Effective Diagnostic Tool for French Athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Ultrasound was used as an extension to the clinical examination for the French elite sportsmen and women at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The two GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK;) ultrasound systems available to them on an exclusive basis are GE Healthcare’s Logiq S8 and the Venue 40. These systems are in addition to the numerous technologies also available and all other competing athletes at the Olympic Polyclinic.

French athletes if unwell will go to the “French clinic,” housed within their living quarters at the Olympic Village to describe where it hurts. In turn, the doctor will use the probe to examine the affected area, in particular in correlation with different movements that the athlete will be asked to make.

Dr. Laurence Bellaiche, a radiologist specialized in sports medicine commented, “There is an incredible dynamic aspect with the use of ultrasound that we don’t have with other modalities. For example, I’ve just conducted an ultrasound on one of the French Olympic athletes which showed that his Achilles tendon had a fibrous nodule with an apparently recent tear. In addition, I conducted an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] scan to have the complete picture for this elite athlete. With the MRI scan, the tear showed up well, but not the nodule. Only the excellent spatial resolution of the ultrasound could do this. So I was able to use both methods to help facilitate a complete diagnosis--which is vital for us.”

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