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Sound waves that are used for navigation purposes in an underwater environment are equally useful for visualizing organs inside the human body. Probes containing one or more acoustic transducers send sound pulses into the tissue and measure the echoes that result from encounters with interfering objects. 2D and 3D images are generated by swiveling the probe or by using a specialized instrument. Ultrasound is especially suited to studying muscle and soft tissue, and compares favorably with X-ray, DEXA, and MRI alternatives. It has no known long-term side effects, nor does it cause patient discomfort; the equipment is widely available.

Although ultrasonic investigations took place in Japan as early as 1917, the pioneering work of Heiichi Nikiyama and others was relatively unknown in the US and Europe until the 1950s because of the war. Japan eventually shared its research on detecting masses inside the body with Doppler ultrasound, and then researchers in the US, Sweden, and Scotland advanced the field in the late 1950s. At the time, their machines produced only still pictures of the body, whereas today's machines can turn out real-time moving images.

PZFlex has played a significant role in this progress. The software has won widespread acceptance in the biomedical imaging industry and is used by large international companies such as Philips, GE, Siemens, and Hitachi. It has supported years of ultrasonic probe design and experimental verification studies, earning the confidence of designers who depend on the accuracy of its theoretical predictions. It has facilitated the development of new imaging arrays and the optimization of designs, while reducing dependency on the building of costly physical test devices.