Ultrasound Imaging

Though most people believe it to be a means of determining a baby’s health status growing inside a mother’s womb and sometimes for revealing the gender too, ultrasound has got functions far above fatal imaging. It is an adequate diagnostic tool with many more applications.

There are so many different types of ultrasound scans used for multiple purposes; however, the imaging process is almost similar. To help you learn about the different types of ultrasounds and the know-how they exactly function, we’ve put the significant details in this blog post.

How Does an Ultrasound Imaging Equipment Work?

Ultrasound scans, commonly called sonography, works with sound waves for producing the image of what’s happening inside a human body. It comprises of equipment called a transducer that is capable of producing high-frequency sounds (inaudible to the human ears), which could be sensed by the soft organs and tissues inside the human body which echoes back in the form of sound waves – determining their shape, size, and consistency as ultrasound scans.

This shape, size, and consistency of the soft organs and tissues inside the human body relay in real-time. It produces images on the computer screen – helping medical professionals carrying through efficient patient diagnosis and treatment.

Not everyone from the medical industry can perform sonograms and ultrasound scans instead; there are trained and experienced officials assigned to know exactly how to use the machinery and deduce perfect outcomes. Once the process scans have been obtained, patients shall consult their concerned doctors for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Types of Ultrasound Scans – The Usage & Benefits

Being a leading diagnostic technique, there are many different types of ultrasound in NJ conducted for diagnosing different conditions. The most common types of ultrasound scans include the following

Abdominal Ultrasound –

Abdominal ultrasounds are meant to examine and analyze the internal organs such as the gallbladder, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, bladder, etc. It can help to diagnose a wide variety of abdominal diseases and the level to which they have damaged a particular organ of the human body. With real-time ultrasound imaging, the medical professionals can get guidance for needle biopsies which require needle testing of the sample cells from the human body. 

Furthermore, abdominal ultrasounds can help determine various conditions such as a stone in the gallbladder or kidney, an abnormally enlarged abdominal organ, blockages inside blood vessels, congenital malformation, etc.

Pelvic Ultrasound Imaging –

These are a common type of ultrasound scan that helps to examine women’s fatal health during their pregnancy. Apart from that, pelvic ultrasounds also help to examine the health of bladders, uterus, prostate glands, and ovaries among men and women, respectively. They are often conducted to diagnose and treat health conditions such as abnormal bleeding, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, menstrual problems, kidney and bladder stones, and ovarian and uterine cancers, etc.

Pelvic ultrasound scans are further categorized into three kinds. They include –

Transabdominal – Patients who have to go through a transabdominal ultrasound scan shall have a full bladder. The process is similar to regular ultrasounds where the patient has to lay down on their back, and a gel is applied to their abdomen. The abdomen is further exposed to the transducer, which is rubbed over their stomach – releasing the sound waves.

Transvaginal – Patients who have to go through a transvaginal ultrasound shall have an empty urinary bladder the same way they have it for a gynecological checkup. The transducer used in this ultrasound is relatively smaller than the one used in Pap tests. It has to be inserted in the vagina with a protective layer of lubrication gel applied before handed.

Though it sounds difficult, most patients report that transvaginal ultrasound imaging happens to be more comfortable than regular gynecological examinations.

Transrectal – This ultrasound imaging technique is used for examining the health status of prostate glands. The transducer has to be inserted through the rectum, and a layer of lubrication gets as protective care.

Obstetric Ultrasound Imaging –

This is a special kind of ultrasound imaging technique only recommended for pregnant women to determine the health of their fetus or embryo. These ultrasound imaging scans shall only be conducted when clinically recommended, and they could help in –

• Determining the existence of a living fetus/embryo
• Determining the estimated age of the pregnancy
• Determining the possible congenital abnormalities
• Finding the exact position of a fetus
• Determining if there are multiple pregnancies at a time

Obstetric ultrasound imaging is surely a painless process. It may cause you a little discomfort as the sonologist guides through the transducer across your abdomen, but it has got no threats to your physical or mental health by any means.

Carotid & Abdominal Aorta Ultrasound Imaging –

This ultrasound imaging technique is meant for examining the blockages inside blood vessels disrupting the flow of blood, which could cause severe health constraints such as strokes. The patients undergoing this type of ultrasound imaging have to lay down on a moveable table; a gel is applied to the examination area, which helps to move the transducer easily across the human body. Also, the sonologist might have to press the transducer against human skin to prevent air penetration, impacting the outcomes of ultrasound imaging.

Carotid and abdominal aorta ultrasound imaging are usually conducted to examine an aneurysm’s existence, that is, an unusual enlargement of the aorta in simpler words. Furthermore, this type of ultrasound imaging could be used for the examination for following soft organs and body parts –

• Liver – for examining the functions of the liver or the tumor
• Renal Organs – for examining kidney stones, tumors, and cysts
• Vascular – for examining the blood flow across veins and arteries 
• Thyroids – for examining the over or under activeness of cysts, thyroid glands, or nodules

To put it short and condensed, ultrasound imaging is an incredible technology offering detailed outcomes that would help medical professionals make an enhanced patient diagnosis and conduct improved treatments. And with the wave of digitalization bringing great disruption to the medical industry, you can find incredible ultrasound services ensuring guaranteed outcomes.