In the digital age, the miniaturization of portable ultrasound equipment has brought both opportunities and challenges to the healthcare industry. Handheld ultrasound (HHU) devices are tablet or smartphone-sized scanners that are highly portable, have lower costs, produce no harmful side effects, and consume less power, making them suitable for use in different environments. HHU devices are primarily designed for new users of ultrasound scanners with varying backgrounds to evaluate different structures of the human body in various clinical settings. HHU applications based on Fifth-generation (5G) wireless network communication and artificial intelligence (AI) technology provide new healthcare solutions. The main application scenarios for HHU devices currently include in-hospital use, remote medical treatment, emergency rescue, and home monitoring. These scenarios allow for rapid image acquisition and real-time image interpretation, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare, reducing medical costs, and improving the allocation and utilization of medical resources. However, there remain some technical challenges and weaknesses such as device safety, data privacy, and network stability. With the continuous integration of AI technology, HHU applications will find wider use and promotion, bringing about more opportunities and challenges to the healthcare industry. This article reviews the application experience and insights of 5G technology in the field of HHU, aiming to provide fresh evidence and references for future research and applications.

Ultrasound (US) technology, with major advances and new developments, has become an essential and first-line imaging modality for clinical diagnosis and interventional treatment. US imaging has evolved from one-dimensional, two-dimensional to three-dimensional display, and from static to real-time imaging, as well as from structural to functional imaging. Based on its portability and advanced digital imaging technique, US was first adopted by emergency medicine in the 1980s and gradually gained popularity among other specialists for clinical diagnosis and interventional treatment. Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) was then proposed as a new concept and developed for new uses, which greatly extended clinical US applications. Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, 5G network, robotics, and remote technologies are starting to be integrated into US equipment. US systems have gradually evolved to an intelligent terminal platform with powerful imaging and communication tools. In addition, specialized US machines tend to be more suitable and important to meet increasing demands and requirements by various clinical specialties and departments. In this article, we review current US technology and POCUS as new concepts and its future trends, as well as related technological developments and clinical applications.

Real-time ultrasound imaging has been used for the evaluation of pulmonary abnormalities and other complications during the outbreak of COVID-19. However, conventional ultrasound examination requires operators to conduct scanning either in the examination room or patient ward, which may increase the potential infective risk. Tele-operated ultrasound robotics can provide a unique technique for doctors to remotely scan patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we attempted to apply a 5G network-based scanning robot to conduct remote ultrasound examination on COVID-19 patients and to explore the feasibility of this technique for teleultrasound diagnosis and consultation during critical infectious situations.