Multiple still images are taken to represent the location, texture, and blood flow of each organ. Ultrasound is also very good at looking at cartilage, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to evaluate joints for fluid or inflammation.
Called a musculoskeletal MSK ultrasound , these exams are often ordered for joint concerns such as symptoms in the ankle, elbow, knee, shoulder, or wrist. MSK ultrasounds may be requested on their own or in conjunction with an X-ray to rule out a fracture. It helps health care practitioners make a diagnosis and inform care decisions. Some ultrasound exams require preparation before the exam.
Your doctor should provide preparation instructions before your exam, or you can contact our clinic if you have questions. For example, for an abdominal ultrasound, you will be asked to fast and have nothing to eat or drink except water for six hours prior to your exam. For some obstetrical ultrasounds, you will need to arrive with a full bladder. Your images will be reviewed by a specialized radiologist who will compile a report that is sent to your doctor within 24 hours, sooner for urgent requests.
Mayfair Diagnostics is owned and operated by over 60 radiologists who are fellowship-trained in many keys areas, such as neuroradiology, body, cardiac, and musculoskeletal imaging, etc. This allows for an expert review of your imaging by the applicably trained radiologist. Your images will be uploaded to a provincial picture archiving and communication system PACS — this technology provides electronic storage and convenient access to your medical images from multiple sources, such as your doctor, specialists, hospitals, and walk-in clinics.
Your doctor will review your images and the report from the radiologist and discuss next steps with you, such as a treatment plan or the need for further diagnostic imaging or lab tests to ensure an accurate diagnosis. For more information about our clinic and services, please contact us at , or visit our website.
Because of the particular concern for effects on the fetus, organizations such as the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine have advocated prudent use of ultrasound imaging in pregnancy.
Keepsake images or videos are reasonable if they are produced during a medically-indicated exam, and if no additional exposure is required.
For all medical imaging procedures, the FDA recommends that patients talk to their health care provider to understand the reason for the examination, the medical information that will be obtained, the potential risks, and how the results will be used to manage the medical condition or pregnancy. Because ultrasound is not based on ionizing radiation, it is particularly useful for women of child-bearing age when CT or other imaging methods would otherwise result in exposure to radiation.
Ultrasound is the most widely used medical imaging method for viewing the fetus during pregnancy. Routine examinations are performed to assess and monitor the health status of the fetus and mother.
Ultrasound examinations provide parents with a valuable opportunity to view and hear the heartbeat of the fetus, bond with the unborn baby, and capture images to share with family and friends. In fetal ultrasound, three-dimensional 3D ultrasound allows the visualization of some facial features and possibly other parts such as fingers and toes of the fetus. Four-dimensional 4D ultrasound is 3D ultrasound in motion.
While ultrasound is generally considered to be safe with very low risks, the risks may increase with unnecessary prolonged exposure to ultrasound energy, or when untrained users operate the device. Expectant mothers should also be aware of concerns with purchasing over-the-counter fetal heartbeat monitoring systems also called doptones.
These devices should only be used by trained health care providers when medically necessary. Use of these devices by untrained persons could expose the fetus to prolonged and unsafe energy levels, or could provide information that is interpreted incorrectly by the user. Ultrasound imaging does introduce energy into the body, and laboratory studies have shown that diagnostic levels of ultrasound can produce physical effects in tissue, such as pressure oscillations with subsequent mechanical effects and rise in temperature.
The same principles apply to sonar used by boats and submarines. The technologist applies a small amount of gel to the area under examination and places the transducer there.
The gel allows sound waves to travel back and forth between the transducer and the area under examination. The ultrasound image is immediately visible on a video monitor.
The computer creates the image based on the loudness amplitude , pitch frequency , and time it takes for the ultrasound signal to return to the transducer.
Ultrasound imaging uses the same principles as the sonar that bats, ships, and fishermen use. When a sound wave strikes an object, it bounces back or echoes.
By measuring these echo waves, it is possible to determine how far away the object is as well as its size, shape, and consistency. This includes whether the object is solid or filled with fluid. Doctors use ultrasound to detect changes in the appearance of organs, tissues, and vessels and to detect abnormal masses, such as tumors. In an ultrasound exam, a transducer both sends the sound waves and records the echoing returning waves. When the transducer is pressed against the skin, it sends small pulses of inaudible, high-frequency sound waves into the body.
As the sound waves bounce off internal organs, fluids and tissues, the sensitive receiver in the transducer records tiny changes in the sound's pitch and direction. A computer instantly measures these signature waves and displays them as real-time pictures on a monitor. The technologist typically captures one or more frames of the moving pictures as still images. They may also save short video loops of the images. Doppler ultrasound, a special ultrasound technique, measures the direction and speed of blood cells as they move through vessels.
The movement of blood cells causes a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves called the Doppler effect. A computer collects and processes the sounds and creates graphs or color pictures that represent the flow of blood through the blood vessels.
For most ultrasound exams, you will lie face-up on an exam table that can be tilted or moved. Patients may turn to either side to improve the quality of the images. The radiologist a doctor specifically trained to supervise and interpret radiology exams or sonographer will position you on the exam table.
They will apply a water-based gel to the area of the body under examination. The gel will help the transducer make secure contact with the body. It also eliminates air pockets between the transducer and the skin that can block the sound waves from passing into your body. The sonographer places the transducer on the body and moves it back and forth over the area of interest until it captures the desired images.
There is usually no discomfort from pressure as they press the transducer against the area being examined. However, if the area is tender, you may feel pressure or minor pain from the transducer. Very rarely, young children may need sedation to hold still for the procedure. Parents should ask about this beforehand and be made aware of prior food and drink restrictions that sedation requires. Once the imaging is complete, the technologist will wipe off the clear ultrasound gel from your skin.
Any portions that remain will dry quickly. The ultrasound gel does not usually stain or discolor clothing. In some ultrasound exams, the doctor attaches a probe to the transducer and inserts into a body cavity. These exams include:. If the doctor performs a Doppler ultrasound exam, you may hear pulse-like sounds that change in pitch as they monitor and measure the blood flow.
When the exam is complete, the technologist may ask you to dress and wait while the doctor reviews the ultrasound images. A radiologist, a doctor trained to supervise and interpret radiology exams, will analyze the images. The radiologist will send a signed report to the doctor who requested the exam. Your doctor will then share the results with you. In some cases, the radiologist may discuss results with you after the exam.
You may need a follow-up exam. If so, your doctor will explain why. Sometimes a follow-up exam further evaluates a potential issue with more views or a special imaging technique. It may also see if there has been any change in an issue over time.
Follow-up exams are often the best way to see if treatment is working or if a problem needs attention. Ultrasound waves are disrupted by air or gas.
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