Who We Are
The Collaborative for Advanced Clinical Techniques in UltraSound (CACTUS) constitutes a group of like-minded physicians, scientists, and technical experts dedicated to the advancement of clinical ultrasound imaging and image-guided intervention.
What Drives Us
CACTUS faculty and staff appreciate and understand the current and potential future impact of ultrasound in modern medicine. Ultrasound techniques are generally more easily scalable and accessible than other radiological modalities, with potentially world-wide impact at a fraction of the financial, logistical, and environmental cost.
What We Do
CACTUS is at the intersection of high-quality clinical care, emerging and cutting-edge clinical techniques, and translational research.
- Clinical Care – Through a robust quality-assurance program and review of peer-reviewed literature and societal guidelines, new clinical imaging protocols are continuously developed, tested, and enhanced. The impact on cost-effectiveness, workflow, and patient management are analyzed. These protocols and recommendations are then disseminated throughout the UT system and presented at local and national meetings to help impact medical best-practice.
- Technical Development – CACTUS is focused on vetting new ultrasound-based tools and techniques before they may be widely available. Through collaborations with other labs and industry partners, CACTUS offers the expertise, personnel, and facilities to test emerging technologies to help assess their performance in a clinical setting, and their impact on patient management.
- Translational Research – CACTUS also provides the environment and infrastructure to test emerging techniques and technologies that may have been analyzed in the lab, but have not yet been performed in a clinical situation. This translation (bench-to-bedside) epitomizes the impact that CACTUS strives to achieve.
