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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