Ultrasound imaging, also known as sonography, is a type of medical test wherein high frequency sound waves are used to look and capture organs and structures inside the body.
Ultrasound can be used in different clinical settings such as obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, and cancer detection. This process offers a lot of advantages because this does not use radiation, and is faster than X-rays and other radiographic techniques.
In relation with obstetrics and gynecology, sonography is generally used to determine the condition of the fetus including its gender and its due date. It is helpful in determining the state of the fetus inside the mother’s womb, as well as to identify whether there would be illnesses and other life-threatening issues that should be addressed.
Ultrasound can also be used in the cardiology field to see and identify abnormal structures or functions inside the heart. It is also used to measure blood flow through the heart and major blood vessels.
On the other hand, Urologists practice this process to measure blood flow through the kidneys, to check kidney stones formation, and to detect prostate cancer.
This test might be at times associated with pregnancy, but in reality, this has a lot of purposes in the medical field. According to the Radiological Society of North America, doctors will require a patient to undergo the ultrasound process when s/he is experiencing pain, swelling, or other symptoms. Sonography can also provide a view of the bladder, brain (in infants), eyes, gallbladder, kidneys, liver, ovaries, pancreas, spleen, thyroid, testicles, uterus, and blood vessels.
Aside from these functions, this medical tool also helps a physician to evaluate, diagnose and treat medical conditions. These includes: (1) Abdominal ultrasound (to visualize abdominal tissues and organs), (2), Bone sonometry (to assess bone fragility), (3) Breast ultrasound (to visualize breast tissue), (4) Doppler fetal heart rate monitors (to listen to the fetal heart beat), (5) Doppler ultrasound (to visualize blood flow through a blood vessel, organs, or other structures), (6) Echocardiogram (to view the heart), (7) Fetal ultrasound (to view the fetus in pregnancy), (8) Ultrasound-guided biopsies (to collect a sample of tissue), (9) Ophthalmic ultrasound (to visualize ocular structures), and (10) Ultrasound-guided needle placement (in blood vessels or other tissues of interest).
One of the providers of this type of service is Macquarie Medical Imaging (MMI). For more information about this clinical service, you can visit our website and contact us for other services.