Ultrasounds are used for more than just pregnancy
Many people equate ultrasonography techniques with pregnancy. An ultrasound is often one of the first pictures that a woman may have of her unborn child. Although ultrasonography is often used in obstetrics, there are many other ultrasonography techniques that are used in modern medicine. Ultrasounds are used to diagnose, treat and cure a variety of ailments, injuries and illnesses.
Ultrasonography Equipment
All ultrasound equipment uses the same basic principle for diagnostic and imaging purposes. Ultrasound equipment uses a wand that may be shaped in one of several different ways. That wand sends out sound waves that either travel through tissue or bounce back. It will often bounce back when it encounters something that is denser than the surrounding tissue such as bone. The information supplied by the rebounding sound waves are interpreted by the ultrasound machine and this gives the technician an idea of what may or may not be present.
Ultrasounds in Obstetrics
Ultrasonography techniques are often used in obstetrics. There are two main types of ultrasound machines that can give a look at an unborn child. There are the more traditional two dimensional machines and the more advanced three dimensional ultrasound machines. Depending on how far along a woman has progressed, the wand may be passed over her abdomen or, if the pregnancy is still at an early stage, a wand that is inserted vaginally may be used. However, this technique is much less common.
Ultrasounds in Diagnostics
Ultrasonography techniques can also be used to diagnose a range of other conditions. Generally the abdomen is the area that is visualized because there are fewer bones that may interfere with an accurate reading. The health of organs such as the stomach, liver, and pancreas can be monitored through the use of ultrasonography techniques and diseases may be diagnosed from the image that they provide. The use of ultrasound is often preferred to other diagnostic means such as x-rays, since there is no radiation with an ultrasound and it is possible to get accurate results in a very short period of time.
Tags: bounce back, equipment uses, often used, often used obstetrics, sound waves, ultrasound machines
