Ultrasound Imaging

Ultrasound imaging (also called sonography) is a common diagnostic medical procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce dynamic images (sonograms) of organs, tissues or blood flow inside the body. The procedure involves using a transducer, which sends a stream of high-frequency sound waves into the body and detects their echoes as they bounce off internal structures. The sound waves are then converted to electric impulses, which are processed to form an image displayed on a computer monitor. It is from these images that videos and portraits are made. Doppler ultrasound is a special type of ultrasound that shows blood flowing through a blood vessel. It can be used to view major arteries and veins in the abdomen, arms, legs and neck. (Read about "Vascular System")

Ultrasound can be used to help diagnose many conditions, including but not limited to:

• heart and blood vessels disease (Read about "The Heart & Cardiovascular System")
• liver disease (Read about "The Liver")
• gallstones (Read about "Gallstones")
• pancreatitis (Read about "Pancreatitis" "Pancreatic Cancer")
• appendicitis (Read about "Appendicitis")
• conditions affecting the spleen (Read about "The Spleen")
• kidney problems (Read about "Kidney Disease" "Kidney Cancer")
• many female conditions and menstrual disorders (Read about "Menstrual Disorders")
• prostate problems (Read about "The Prostate")
• bladder conditions such as incontinence (Read about "The Urinary System" "Incontinence")
• eye conditions (Read about "The Eye")
• conditions affecting the thyroid and parathyroid glands (Read about "Thyroid" "Parathyroid Glands")

Ultrasound can also be used in other situations:

• Obstetricians use ultrasound at a very low power level to check the size, location, number and age of a fetus or fetuses, the presence of some types of birth defects, fetal movement and heartbeat. (Read about "Healthy Pregnancy" "Prenatal Care" "Pregnancy Testing" "Birth Defects") The location and condition of the placenta can also be determined. (Read about "Placental Complications") Ultrasound can also help determine whether an appropriate amount of amniotic fluid is present. (Read about "Polyhydramnios / Hydramnios") When ultrasound is used by a qualified clinician to check for this kind of medical information, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the medical benefit far outweighs any risk. FDA advises against using ultrasound solely to obtain a "keepsake" video. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says ultrasound, combined with certain blood tests (Read about "Laboratory Testing"), can be an effective screening test for Down syndrome. (Read about "Down Syndrome") The ultrasound is called nuchal translucency and measures the thickness at the back of the neck of the fetus.
• At somewhat higher exposure levels, given daily for weeks at a time, ultrasound can be used to speed the healing of bone fractures. (Read about "Bone Fractures") FDA says that at even higher levels, the technology produces a heating effect in tissue that is useful in treating sprains and pulled muscles. (Read about "Sprains") Focused ultrasound, using high frequency, high-energy sound waves, can also be combined with magnetic resonance imaging (Read about "MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging") to heat and destroys uterine fibroids. (Read about "Uterine Fibroids")
• Ultrasound can be used in the diagnosis of many types of cancer. (Read about "Cancer: What It Is") It can also be used to guide a needle during a biopsy (Read about "Biopsy"), which is the removal of cells or tissues for examination or testing by a pathologist.

For many ultrasound exams, you lie on an examination table that can be tilted or moved. A clear gel is applied to the area of the body being studied to help the transducer make firm contact with the body and the transducer is then moved back and forth over the area of interest. For some ultrasound exams, the transducer is attached to a probe and inserted into a natural opening in the body, such as the rectum, the vagina or the mouth leading to the esophagus.

An ultrasound exam generally takes 30 minutes to an hour.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a procedure in which an endoscope (a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing) is inserted into the body. (Read about "Endoscopy") The endoscope has a probe at the end of the endoscope, which is used to bounce high-energy sound waves or ultrasound off internal organs to make a picture (sonogram). It is also called endosonography.

Endoscopic ultrasound can be used in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer (Read about "Lung Cancer"), as well as cancers of the digestive system, including pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer or esophageal cancer. (Read about "Pancreatic Cancer" "Liver Cancer" "Stomach Cancer" "Esophagus Cancer") Endoscopic ultrasound can also be used in the diagnosis of digestive diseases and conditions including, but not limited to chronic pancreatitis and digestive problems such as fecal incontinence. (Read about "Pancreatitis" "Digestive System" "Fecal Incontinence")