Healthcare Career Articles
Benefits Of Ultrasound Scans
An Ultrasound test is a diagnostic medical imaging technique, which is performed to view a patient's internal organs and to assess his or her blood flow through various vessels. An Ultrasound is also very usefull when performed on a pregnant lady so an obstetrician can check on the developing baby. It does this with the help of high-frequency sound waves which have no adverse effect on the body.
Your average Ultrasound machine or scanner will consist of a computer, a display screen and a transducer probe that is used to scan the body. The transducer is the small gadget that the Ultrasound technician will hold in his or her hand and that is attached to the scanner. This is the part of the Ultrasound scanner that is placed on top of the area of the body that needs to be scanned; the respective area will be lubricated with a special gel. The transducer transmits the sound waves that go through the body and the internal structure of the body reproduces them as "echoes". These echoes return to the transducer which in turn transmits them to the computer part of the Ultrasound scanner which will exhibit them as real-time visual images.
Ultrasound pictures work on exactly the same basis as the sonar that bats and submarines use to navigate. Since a controlled sound will bounce against any object, its echo can be used to perceive the distance the respective object is at, its shape, size and even its density. When the Ultrasound scanner's transducer is pressed against the skin, it starts directing a stream of muted and high frequency sound waves into the body. The sound waves echo from the body's fluids, tissues and organs and are picked up by the transducer which record the tiny changes in the sound's pitch and direction. These echoes are then instantly measured and displayed by the computer, which will also generate a real-time picture on the display screen for the technician and doctors to view.
Ultrasound images have proven to be a good method of guiding minimally invasive procedures and as a very useful diagnostic instrument in Obstetrics. Ultrasound scanner images are used to examine the body in order to detect problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and soft tissue. Ultrasound images will often demonstrate movement, function and anatomy, and will allow radiologists to analyze a multiplicity of conditions and assess damage after an injury or illness.
Ultrasound scanning is also a good method of examining the body's internal organs, including the heart, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and bladder. Ultrasound scans help in determining the sources of pain, swelling or infection a patient may suffer from. Since the Ultrasound images are captured in real time, they demonstrate movement of internal tissues and organs, and allow physicians to observe the patient's blood flow and heart valve functions.
This versatility of the Ultrasound scanner helps to diagnose the damage after a heart attack or other illness. Gallstones and kidney stones are easily spotted. Ultrasound scans will identify fluid, cysts, tumors, abscess in the abdomen or liver and it will also detect impaired blood flow from clots or arteriosclerosis in the legs. Ultrasound images are also used to evaluate superficial structures such as the thyroid gland and scrotum. Most Ultrasound examinations take forty five minutes or less.