Technological progression has led to the development of increasingly smaller ultrasonography systems. Here we describe the usefulness of VSCAN, a newly-developed pocket-sized portable ultrasound, for neurosonology. The VSCAN measures 135 × 73 mm and weighs 390 g. Its excellent portability allows physicians to perform ultrasonography anywhere in the hospital, and its usefulness has been reported in cases from cardiology, gynecology, and emergency medicine. We preliminarily employed VSCAN for 25 neurosurgical treatments and evaluated carotid arteries, femoral arteries, and inferior vena cavas, among others. The handling of the VSCAN was quite simple, and color flow images were able to be obtained; however, the resolution of the images was not sufficient to evaluate the arterial walls of either the carotid or femoral artery. The probe was fixed; therefore, only one type was available for deep-seated regions such as the thoracic or abdominal organs. Our experience suggests that this version of the VSCAN pocket-sized portable ultrasound is not useful for neurosonology, and development of a linear probe is required.
