Friday, May 6, 2016

How do ultrasound scans work?

Although ultrasound travels through soft tissue and fluids, it bounces back off denser surfaces. Ultrasound will travel through blood, for example in the heart chamber, but much of it will echo (bounce back) when hitting a heart valve.

If there are no solid gallstones in the gallbladder, ultrasound will travel straight through, but when there are stones, ultrasound will bounce back from them.
The denser the object the ultrasound hits, the more of it bounces back.
The bouncing back, or echo, is what gives the ultrasound image its features - varying shades of gray reflect different densities.
Ultrasound is commonly used in medicine today. Health care professionals can use sonography for either diagnosis or treatment (therapeutic procedures), as well as for guidance during procedures that require intervention, such as biopsies.
A medical professional who performs ultrasound scans is called a Sonographer. Scans, or images are then interpreted by radiologists, cardiologists, or other medical specialists. The sonographer usually holds a transducer; a hand-held device which is placed on the skin of the patient.

Lets we see some of the examples of medical sonography:
Ultrasound in anesthesiology
Ultrasound is often used by anesthetists for guidance (accuracy) when injecting needles with anesthetic solutions near nerves.


Cardiology ( USEFUL IN HEART FUNCTIONING)
Used in echocardiography, also known as cardiac ultrasound. Two-dimensional slices of the heart are imaged. Modern devices can produce 3-dimensional images.
As well as creating images of the cardiovascular system, echocardiograms can accurately assess the speed of blood flow and cardiac tissue at specific points using pulses or continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. The health care professional can assess the function and state of cardiac valve areas, abnormalities between the left and right side of the heart, valvular regurgitation (blood leaking from valves), as well as working out how well the heart pumps out blood.
Arterial sonography can also be used to assess the patency and possible blockage of arteries, as well as diagnosing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Venosonography may help determine how severe a case of venous insufficiency might be.
Ultrasound in emergency medicine
The use of ultrasound in emergency medicine has grown considerably over the last two decades. In fact, for emergency medicine ultrasound training has become increasingly popular.
Today, in emergency medicine, ultrasound is used in the FAST (Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma) for assessing trauma, pericardial tamponade (fluid builds up in the sac in which the heart is enclosed; the pericardium) or hemoperitoneum (blood in the peritoneal cavity).
Sonography is also used to speed up care for patients with suspected gallstones orinflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis). These patients usually come in with abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant.
Abdominal Sonography (gastroenterology)
Using ultrasound, the healthcare professional is able to see images of the spleen, kidneys, bile ducts, gall bladder, liver, aorta, inferior vena cava, pancreas and other solid organs located in the abdomen. If the appendix is swollen, as may be the case with appendicitis, it can sometimes show up in the imaging. Sonographers say that certain quantities of fat and gas in the bowel can sometimes block the ultrasound waves, making diagnosis more difficult.
Newborn infants (neonatology)
The Sonographer can perform an ultrasound scan on an infant by placing the probe in the newborn's fontanelle (soft spot in the skull) to check for abnormalities in the brain,hydrocephalus and preiventricular leukomalacia (a form of white-matter brain injury). As the Fontanelle gets smaller in time, the quality of the images becomes poorer.

Ultrasound and neurology
Ultrasound may be used to measure blood flow in the carotid arteries. Known as carotid Ultrasonography, the scan looks out for blood clots and atherosclerotic plaque build-up. A carotid duplex is a form of carotid ultrasonopgraphy using Duplex ultrasonography, which may include a Doppler ultrasound - a test which can reveal how blood cells move through the carotid arteries.
Obstetric Ultrasonography
Ultrasound is used to create images of the fetus or embryo in the uterus. Today, often referred to simply as an ultrasound scan, it is part of standard prenatal care. Obstetric Ultrasonography can reveal various aspects of the fetus' health, as well as the mother's. It can also help the health care professional assess the progress of the pregnancy.
The probe, or transducer is typically placed on the mother's abdomen, but may also be placed in her vagina - transvaginal Sonography. A transvaginal scan gives a clearer picture during early pregnancy, and may be a better option for obese mothers. A Doppler Sonography shows the fetus' heartbeat, and can help the doctor detect signs of abnormalities in the heart and blood vessels.
Ultrasound and urology
Ultrasound is used in urology for many purposes, such as checking how much urine remains in the patient's bladder after going to the toilet. Organs in the pelvic region can be checked, including the uterus, testicles (to tell testicular torsion from epididymitis). In young adult male patients, ultrasound is sometimes used to distinguish hydrocele or varicocele fromtesticular cancer.
Testicular cancer, even though highly curable, must be treated in order to preserve the man's fertility and overall health.
Pelvic sonographies can be carried out internally or externally. In a male the internal sonogram may be inserted transrectally, while in a female transvaginally. Ultrasound scans of the pelvic floor can help the doctor determine the extent of, for example, a pelvic prolapse, incontinence or obstructed defecation. At higher frequencies, ultrasound can be used to break up kidney stones or crystals (nephrolithiasis).
Musculoskeletal sonography
Ultrasound can be used to examine ligaments, bone surfaces, soft tissue masses, nerves, muscles and tendons.
THESE ARE THE FEW SUPPORTIVE NOTIONS BY WHICH WE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW ARE THESE ULTRA SOUNDS USEFUL IN OUR DAILY LIFE.
LETS WE CONTINUE ……..

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