The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned healthcare providers to immediately stop using and discard all ultrasound gels and lotions manufactured by Eco-Med Pharmaceutical.
Eco-Med initiated a voluntary recall on August 4 of its EcoGel 200 ultrasound gel due to risk of bacterial contamination from Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria. But the FDA subsequently determined that all ultrasound gels and lotions manufactured by Eco-Med are at risk for bacterial contamination, the agency said in a release.
The FDA found the company did not complete its investigation of the issues involved in the incident, did not identify the root cause and extent of bacterial contamination, and that multiple products could be affected by manufacturing issues associated with the company's ultrasound gel. These include inappropriate testing of finished product, inadequate testing of raw materials, and a lack of environmental controls, according to the release.
Products manufactured by Eco-Med are distributed by a number of distributors under various product names, including MediChoice Ultrasound Gel distributed by both Owens & Minor and Mac Medical Supply.
Eco-Med has shut down all operations and is no longer manufacturing or distributing any products. The FDA has provided a full list of Echo-Med ultrasound gel products and lotions.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
