What Is an Ultrasound?
For most people, ultrasound simply has to do with the process where a pregnant woman is being examined by a doctor in a quest to view the image of the baby growing in the womb. This is, indeed, one of the main uses of ultrasound nowadays, as we use it to view images of babies, as well as ovaries, placenta, etc. However, there are other various uses of ultrasound; over time, an ultrasound test helps to detect heart problems, including vascular diseases and heart attacks.
Working Principle of Ultrasound Imaging
Ultrasound Imaging is also known as sonography. It uses sound waves to design and draw images of the processes going on in the body. In addition to this, a transducer, an instrument that emits high-frequency sound, which is inaudible to human ears, performs its job. It records the echoes generated as sound waves that bounce back to determine the shape, size and consistency of organs and soft tissues.
When this information is relayed in real time, it will produce images, visible to human eyes, on a computer screen. Sonographers or ultrasound technicians best perform this test; they will also read and analyze the result of the test. Also, a radiologist or your local family doctor can interpret these images to deliver effective treatment. The result of this diagnostic tool will help to diagnose and treat certain conditions.
What an Ultrasound Test Can Tell Us About Your Body
Ultrasound can be used for various purposes; it can tell your local doctor a lot of things about your body. It can tell us about your pregnancy, and it can be used to diagnose many medical conditions. It will also guide doctors through precise medical procedures. Here are some specific uses:
Diagnostics – Doctors are also using ultrasound imaging to diagnose different problems affecting the soft tissues and organs in the body. Some of these organs include gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, uterus, ovaries, eyes, liver, kidneys, bladder, testicles, thyroid, heart and blood vessels. There are some diagnostic limitations to this imaging tests as sound waves do not transmit well into parts of the body that hold air or gas like the bowel and dense bone.
Pregnancy – Ultrasound images are instrumental during pregnancy. It can be used to reveal the number of babies (single, twins or multiple), determine due dates, and rule out ectopic pregnancies. It can also be used to identify problems with pregnancies, including congenital disabilities, breech positioning, placental issues, and others. While it can be used to determine the sex of a baby, doctors also use these images to determine the size of a baby before birth.
Use during medical procedures – Doctors are using ultrasound imaging during different medical procedures such as needle biopsies since these procedures include the removal of tissue from a particular part of the body for testing in a lab. In addition to this, they are also used to determine and treat soft-tissue injuries, also known as therapeutic applications.
At our family health care centers across New Jersey, we are able to offer ultrasound tests as a reliable diagnostics tool.
