The Ultrasound Procedure
An ultrasound is a procedure used by doctors to see inside parts of a person's body. The most commonly known use is on a woman during pregnancy. The doctor rubs a special gel on the mother's stomach, and uses a transducer to conduct the ultrasound. He simply rubs the device through the gel and around the stomach, which sends the results to a screen and shows a picture. The baby can be seen using this method. It's a quick and painless way to ensure the growing child is developing properly, and also to tell what the gender of the baby is once it becomes more developed.
Sending Out Sonar Waves
The ultrasound sends out sound waves, much like the sonar of a ship, which echo off of objects and bounce back. The sound waves are then interpreted as a picture. The gel is used to help the waves travel. They work best through liquid and soft tissues, so the gel eliminates the static the air would produce if the waves were trying to travel through it. Ultrasound is limited when it comes to dense materials, such as bones, so there are parts of the body it would be difficult, of not impossible, to examine. But most body parts can be observed through ultrasound because of today's increasing technology.
Many Uses for Ultrasound
Besides pregnancies, the ultrasound technique can examine many organs of the body. An ECHO ultrasound is used to exam the heart of the patient. This picture allows doctors to monitor how the heart beats, and watch the valves. If a valve isn't closing properly, it will show up on an ECHO text. Sometimes problems that couldn't be detected by listening to the heart can be found through a simple ECHO exam. Other organs in the body can be examined the same way. The stomach can be examined, even if it is not for a pregnancy. This procedure is great advantage because it is painless, and there is no surgery involved. Doctors can now see into many parts of the body without making a single cut; a fact all patients are very happy about!
Tags: organs body, parts body, sound waves
