Ultrasound uses sound waves to obtain a medical image or picture of
various organs and tissues in the body. It is a painless
and safe procedure.
Ultrasound produces very precise images of your soft
tissues (heart, blood vessels, uterus, bladder, etc.)
and reveals internal motion such as heart beat and blood flow. It can
detect diseased or damaged tissues, locate abnormal growths and identify
a wide variety of changing conditions, which enable your doctor to make
a quick and accurate diagnosis.
A technologist will assist you onto the examination
table. At this time, a water-based transmission gel
will be applied to the area of your body that will
be examined. A transducer will be moved slowly over
the body part being imaged. The transducer sends a
signal to an on-board computer which processes the
data and produces the ultrasound image. It is from this image that the
diagnosis is made.
You won't feel a thing except for the slight pressure and movement
of the transducer over the part of the body being imaged. It is important
that you remain still and relaxed during the procedure.
The ultrasound images will appear on a monitor similar to a TV screen
and will be recorded either on paper or film for a detailed study.