Ultrasound FAQ

1.What is Ultrasound?

Ultrasound imaging, or sometimes referred to as ultrasound scanning or sonography, is a method commonly used to obtain images from inside the body through the use of high frequency sound waves. The ultrasound machine transmits the sound waves into your body using a probe. The echoes that the waves produce are then recorded and displayed as a visual image on the machines monitor. In a typical ultrasound, millions of pulses and echoes are sent and received each second. The probe can be moved along the surface of the body and angled to obtain various views.

2. What are some common uses of the procedure?

Millions of expectant mothers see their first pictures of their unborn child with pelvic ultrasounds of the uterus and fetus. Ultrasound imaging is commonly used for evaluating eyes, pelvic and abdominal organs, heart, blood vessels, and can help physicians determine the source of pain, swelling, or infection in many parts of the body. Because the images produced by ultrasound are real-time images it can also be utilized to guide procedures such as needle biopsies, in which needles are used to sample cells from organs for laboratory testing. Ultrasound is now being used to image breasts and to guide biopsy of breast cancer. Ultrasound can also be used to evaluate superficial structures, such as the thyroid gland and the scrotum.

3. What is a Doppler Ultrasound?

Doppler ultrasounds measure the change in frequency of the echoes to calculate how fast an object is moving. These ultrasounds have been used mostly to measure the rate of blood flow through the heart and major arteries. Doppler images can help physicians view and evaluate blockages to blood flow (such as clots), build-up of plaques inside vessels, and congenital malformation.

4. How should I prepare for the procedure?

You should wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes for your ultrasound exam. Depending on the type of ultrasound study requested from your physician you might have a more in depth preparation required. (Insert downloaded link to universals preparations.)

5. What will I experience during the procedure?

Most ultrasound exams are painless, fast, and easy. The patient is positioned on an exam table usually on their back. The technologist or doctor will spread some warm gel on your skin and then press the transducer firmly against your body, moving it until the desired images are captured. There may be varying degrees of discomfort from pressure as the technologist guides the transducer over your abdomen, especially if you are required to have a full bladder. The examination on average will take 30 minutes or less.

6. What does the equipment look like?

At Universal Imaging you can expect to have your exam completed on top of the line ultrasound equipment from Siemens Medical. The machines consist of a console containing a computer and electronics, a video display screen, and a transducer that is used to scan the body. The transducer is a small, hand held device that is attached to the scanner by a cord. The technologist will spread a lubricating gel on the area of the body being scanned and press the transducer firmly against the skin to obtain images. The image is immediately visible on the monitor, and the technologist watches the screen during the exam and captures particular images for storage. During most ultrasound exams the patients will be able to watch the monitor and see the images being scanned.

7. Who interprets the results and how do I get them?

At Universal Imaging the patient’s exam will be read by one of our board-certified radiologists. The radiologist will analyze the images and send a signed report with his or her interpretation to the patient’s personal physician. The patient receives ultrasound results from the referring physician who ordered the test. In some cases the radiologist may discuss preliminary results with a patient at the conclusion of the exam.

8. What are the benefits vs. risks?

Benefits

• Ultrasound scanning is noninvasive (no needles or injections, in most cases) and is usually painless.
• Ultrasound is widely available and easy to use.
• Ultrasound does not involve any ionizing radiation and is the preferred image modality for diagnosis and monitoring of pregnant women and their unborn infants.
• Ultrasound provides real-time imaging, making it a good tool for guiding minimally invasive procedures such as needle biopsies.
• Ultrasound images can visualize structure, movement and live function in the body’s organs and blood vessels.

Risks

• For standard diagnostic ultrasound there are no known harmful effects on humans.