ULTRASOUNDS

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Ultrasound is a valuable tool, but it has limitations. Sound waves don’t travel well through air or bone, so ultrasound isn’t effective at imaging body parts that have gas in them or are hidden by bone, such as the lungs or head. Ultrasound may also be unable to see objects that are located very deep in the human body. To view these areas, your health care provider may order other imaging tests, such as CT or MRI scans or X-rays.

During the procedure

Gel is applied to your skin over the area being examined. It helps prevent air pockets, which can block the sound waves that create the images. This safe, water-based gel is easy to remove from skin and, if needed, clothing.

A trained technician (sonographer) presses a small, hand-held device (transducer) against the area being studied and moves it as needed to capture the images. The transducer sends sound waves into your body, collects the ones that bounce back and sends them to a computer, which creates the images.

Diagnostic ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic technique used to image inside the body. Ultrasound probes, called transducers, produce sound waves that have frequencies above the threshold of human hearing (above 20KHz), but most transducers in current use operate at much higher frequencies (in the megahertz (MHz) range). Most diagnostic ultrasound probes are placed on the skin. However, to optimize image quality, probes may be placed inside the body via the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, or blood vessels. In addition, ultrasound is sometimes used during surgery by placing a sterile probe into the area being operated on.  

Diagnostic ultrasound can be further sub-divided into anatomical and functional ultrasound. Anatomical ultrasound produces images of internal organs or other structures. Functional ultrasound combines information such as the movement and velocity of tissue or blood, with anatomical images to create “information maps.” These maps help doctors visualize changes/differences in function within a structure or organ.

What happens during an ultrasound?

If your pregnancy ultrasound results were not normal, it doesn’t always mean your baby has a serious health problem. Your provider may suggest more tests to help confirm a diagnosis.

If you had diagnostic ultrasound, the meaning of your results will depend on which part of the body was being looked at.

If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.