Our Vision

Ultrasound is an impactful, cost-effective, and versatile tool in diagnostic imaging and intervention, and holds great promise in areas of molecular imaging and theranostics. With dedication and ingenuity our programs and people aim to realize these benefits.

Our Mission

To advance the use of ultrasound in diagnostic imaging and image-guided therapies through education, quality improvement, and clinical and translational research to optimize patient outcomes.

About Us

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 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, evidence-based literature, and societal guidelines, new clinical imaging protocols are developed and tested. 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 best-practice medicine.
• New Techniques – CACTUS is focused on vetting new ultrasound-based technologies before they may be widely available. Through collaborations with manufacturers and other third party 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.