It uses high-frequency sound waves — called ultrasound waves —to produce images of organs, soft tissues, blood vessels, and blood flow, from inside the body.
These images are used for medical analysis. After x-ray exams , ultrasound is the most commonly used form of diagnostic imaging. It helps doctors gain insights into the inner workings of the body, and is known for being:.
A sonogram also called an ultrasonogram is the visual image produced during an ultrasound examination. A medical sonographer — often referred to as an ultrasound tech — is the person trained to use ultrasound diagnostic imaging technology sonography. Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves that are beamed into the body and bounce back echo off tissue and organs. These echoes generate electrical signals that are translated by a computer to produce images of the tissues and organs.
Most ultrasounds are done using a transducer on the surface of the skin. Probably best known for confirming and monitoring pregnancy , ultrasound is also commonly used by doctors for:.
Doctors use ultrasound imaging to help diagnose conditions affecting the organs and soft tissues of the body, including:. There are some diagnostic limitations for ultrasounds. For example, sound waves do not transmit well through areas that might hold gas or air such as intestines , or areas blocked by dense bone. When a doctor needs to remove tissue from a very precise area in the body — such as in a needle biopsy — ultrasound imaging can help with visual direction. Although often used interchangeably, ultrasound is the procedure of using sound waves to create images from inside the body.
Sonogram is the image produced by an ultrasound examination. Ultrasound is considered a safe and affordable imaging technology to help a doctor make a diagnosis regarding soft tissue and organs in the body.
Learn more. A Doppler ultrasound exam measures blood flow through your arteries and veins. Transesophageal echocardiography is also used when regular echocardiography is difficult to do because of obesity, lung disorders, or other technical problems or when doctors are looking for specific diseases, such as endocarditis Infective Endocarditis Infective endocarditis is an infection of the lining of the heart endocardium and usually also of the heart valves.
Infective endocarditis occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel Intracardiac echocardiography is a rare type of echocardiography that is done when a person is having a procedure on the heart such as a procedure to repair an atrial septal defect Atrial and Ventricular Septal Defects Atrial and ventricular septal defects are holes in the walls septa that separate the heart into the left and right sides.
Holes can be present in the walls of the heart between the upper heart For intracardiac echocardiography, a small flexible tube with an ultrasound transducer at the tip is passed from a blood vessel in the groin directly into a chamber of the heart. The person having this procedure is usually sedated. Intracardiac echocardiography is used when doctors need to obtain detailed pictures of the heart that cannot be obtained using transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography.
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Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. How echocardiography is done.
Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders. Test your knowledge. An aortic dissection occurs when the inner layer lining of the aortic wall tears and separates from the middle layer of the wall. Aortic dissection is frequently fatal. Among which of the following groups is aortic dissection most common? More Content. On the person's chest transthoracic. An ECG test typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. Your physician will attach around 10 sticky pads at different locations around your chest that in turn lead into the machine.
The machine will then begin to track your heart's electrical activity and begin to generate an electrocardiogram of your heart's rhythm. Echocardiograms are a minute affair 5 minutes of preparation time and 15 minutes for the procedure.
The doctor will apply an ultrasound conductive gel on your body and then run the ultrasound probe over your chest to get the requisite images. Echocardiograms on the other hands are recommended by doctors to confirm the signs and symptoms of heart disease.
Here are some reasons you might need to undergo an echocardiogram:. Get Cancer second opinion. How Are The Tests Done?
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