What is sonography

These high-frequency sound waves move energy through solid, liquid and air by colliding with the particles around. Sound waves quickly move through solids when compared to air. The waves move at a different speed when the sound comes across your internal structures. The waves bounce off as echoes. When processed by a computer, these echoes create images called sonograms.

The machines used for the technique generate and receive high-frequency sound waves. The machine helps both the sonographer and the doctor to view internal body structures of the patient. Ultrasound devices create both 2D and 3D images. For the past decades, gynecologists use 2D ultrasound to examine the development of the fetus. Even though the 2D images are useful, 3D ultrasound can create clearer images of the fetus.

Since ultrasound does not use radiation, it is used for the diagnosis in case of an emergency without the need or other imaging techniques.

Ultrasound is also used to guide procedures. An example is a needle biopsy. In a needle biopsy, a needle is used to collect cells from the affected area for diagnosis. It is also used to guide the biopsy of breast cancer. Moreover, it is also used to diagnose medical conditions of the heart like congestive heart failure. The ultrasound test of the heart is known as an echo cardiogram.

It is beneficial for assessing the damage caused by a heart attack. In such cases, ultrasound is preferred. Ultrasound is also used to determine potential pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic masses, abscesses, endometriosis. It is also used to examine the reproductive system for patients with infertility issues. Considered as one of the best imaging techniques, sonography helps doctors to make the diagnosis easily. It is used for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes alike. Not only is sonography safe, but it is also non-invasive, portable and affordable.

What Is Sonography? Why Is It Done? Abdominal ultrasound test can diagnose- Kidney stone Gallstone Liver disease Aortic aneurysm Enlarged organ Sonography is commonly used to examine the development of the fetus. It is also used to evaluate medical conditions such as Joint conditions Testicular lumps Breast lumps Ovarian cysts Appendicitis Bone disease Ectopic pregnancy Fibroid Intracranial haemorrhage Hydrocephaly The sound waves also produce images of blood or fluid flow, where the image shows the direction of the blood flow.

Is The Technique Safe? Procedure The procedure will be completed in less than 30 minutes. It sends a stream of high-frequency sound waves into the body, then detects the sound waves as they bounce off internal structures. Different structures in the body reflect these sound waves differently. The reflected sound waves are analyzed by a computer to make an image of the structure s on a monitor or that can be recorded on hard copy images.

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and Echocardiographers are responsible for creating diagnostic images of various anatomical structures for interpretation by a physician. The images created by sonographers help aid physicians and surgeons in diagnosing and treating numerous disease processes. Sonographers are trusted members of the healthcare team and are relied upon to obtain diagnostic images that will allow physicians to provide the best possible care for their patients.

We also have educational resources for the sonography community. The SDMS supports credentialing for sonographers and provides representation on legislative and regulatory issues that affect the sonography profession. The SDMS Foundation fosters professional learning and excellence by working to improve the field of diagnostic medical sonography. The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography SDMS is a professional membership organization founded in to promote, advance, and educate its members and the medical community in the science of diagnostic medical sonography.

The SDMS is the largest association of sonographers and sonography students in the world. Learn More. Doctors use ultrasound in women, men, and children to gain advanced insights into the inner workings of the body.

In fact, after x-ray exams, ultrasound is the most utilized form of diagnostic imaging available today. Ultrasound can help diagnose a wide variety of conditions in men, ranging from heart disease to abnormalities in the prostate gland or testicles. With children, doctors commonly use ultrasound to detect a variety of illnesses and disorders. A physician may use ultrasound to examine a child's gastrointestinal tract for signs of appendicitis or a baby's bone structure for alignment problems like congenital hip dislocation or spina bifida.

An ultrasound exam of the head can detect hydrocephaly water on the brain , intracranial hemorrahage bleeding in the skull , and other conditions of the head. Despite today's sophisticated, high-tech systems, ultrasound remains a science built upon the simple sound wave. By beaming high-frequency sound waves into the body, physicians translate the echoes that bounce off body tissues and organs into colorful, visual images that provide valuable medical information.

Heart disease, stroke, abnormalities in the abdomen or reproductive system, gallstones, liver damage, and kidney dysfunction all exhibit telltale signs that ultrasound can help to detect. Safe, affordable, and non-invasive, ultrasound is also portable. Very sick or fragile patients, who might not be able to travel to a radiology lab without risking further injury, can have the lab wheeled to them. Ultrasound helps doctors make a diagnosis and determine the best and most effective means possible to achieve health.

From the late s, when scans were done on patients seated in water-filled gun turrets to the late s, when Color Doppler as seen in TV weather reports introduced color to black and white images, ultrasound has always been at the forefront of modern medicine. Beginning as a science of navigation, the first form of ultrasound, called SONAR, was used on war ships during WWII for navigating the seas by bouncing sound waves off the ocean floor and interpreting the echoes.

In the late s, scientists began experimenting with these sound waves as a new way to image the human body similar to X-ray. In the s and '60s, doctors used ultrasound with heart patients, while also branching out into obstetrics, gynecology, and abdominal uses.

These early images looked like a seismograph output a record of an earthquake with spikes and lines, depicting returning sound waves. In the s, grayscale imaging was introduced, providing physicians with the first opportunity to see a cross-section of a person's anatomy.

In the early s, computer software was joined to ultrasound technology to usher in the age of modern ultrasound. Today, ultrasound is a sophisticated, computer-integrated diagnostic tool that provides dynamic and crisp visual insights into the human body. A physician can use ultrasound to detect a wide array of gynecological conditions. For people experiencing pelvic pain, ultrasound may be used as part of a standard pelvic exam to find or rule out conditions such as internal bleeding, pelvic inflammatory disease, abscesses, pelvic masses, and endometriosis.

If doctors suspect any of these problems, an ultrasound examination can confirm or identify these concerns.