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Psalm 150:6

What you should know about ultrasound

Ultrasound imaging has revolutionized the way medicine is practiced. It is a painless, non-invasive procedure that allows physicians to diagnose many conditions – and rule out certain conditions – without surgery or other invasive procedures. Baptist Online talked to Vicki Walker, RTR, RDMS, RVT, of Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto about the latest in ultrasound imaging.

What is ultrasound imaging?
Ultrasound uses inaudible, high-frequency sound waves to "take pictures" of internal organs. These sound waves are converted into images. The procedure is non-invasive and does not damage the body.

How is ultrasound used?
Physicians use ultrasound to determine the source of pain, swelling or infection. When a physician detects an unknown "mass," he or she will often order an ultrasound to determine whether it is a fluid-filled cyst or a solid mass that could require a biopsy. Ultrasound is used extensively in obstetrics to image the uterus and fetus during pregnancy.

Ultrasound is often used to produce images of the heart, liver, gallbladder, uterus, ovaries, kidneys, bladder, breast and pancreas. It is used to examine arteries and vessels and can image blood flow and heart valve function. It can show movement of internal organs and tissues. Physicians may also use ultrasound as a guide during certain procedures, such as needle biopsies.

How does the ultrasound procedure work?
Patients are asked to put on a hospital gown. An ultrasound test takes place in a darkened room, enabling the technologist to see the computer image more clearly. The patient will be asked to lie on an examination table and may be asked to change positions as needed. The skin covering the area to be imaged will be coated with a thin layer of gel. The technologist will press a transducer firmly against the skin and move it back and forth across the area to be imaged. A transducer is a small, handheld probe that transmits sound waves into the body. The sound waves will travel from the transducer through the gel into the body and then will go back to the transducer where they are converted into images that appear on the computer screen.

What are the limitations of ultrasound?
Sound waves cannot image through bone or air. Ultrasound cannot be used for images of the stomach, small bowel or colon, because these organs contain gas and air. Think of it like sunshine traveling through the clouds. Air scatters the sound waves so they cannot produce a clear image. The gel used during ultrasound helps eliminate air pockets between the transducer and the skin.

Is there anything patients must do to prepare for an ultrasound?
Patients should wear loose, comfortable clothing. In some cases, patients must go without food or beverage for a certain period before the ultrasound takes place.

Who reads the ultrasound?
In most cases, a radiologist will interpret the results of the ultrasound. Sometimes the radiologist will give the patient preliminary results at the end of the examination. The radiologist will also send a report to the referring physician. Reports may also be distributed to physicians via the Internet.

What are new developments in ultrasound?
Ultrasound machines are now much more portable. Many are the size of a laptop computer and can be taken to a patient’s bedside or into surgery, for example. Many ultrasounds now produce three-dimensional images. Images of individual body parts or blood vessels can be pulled out so they can be studied more closely.

Ultrasound equipment is more ergonomically correct than ever, which is important because many sonographers (ultrasound technologists) suffer from repetitive stress injuries.

In October, GE Medical Systems unveiled VoiceScan on its LOGIQ 9 ultrasound scanner, which is a new ultrasound technology that allows physicians to obtain and optimize ultrasound images by talking with the ultrasound scanner. By talking into a wireless headset, physicians and sonographers can interact with the LOGIQ 9 scanner and have it perform more than 200 actions. This allows them to use both hands for scanning while operating the system by voice. The development is a tremendous help in more complicated cases – such as ultrasound for young infants or when scanning hard-to-reach areas of the body such as the lower legs.

Published: Dec 2003
Source: Vicki Walker, RTR, RDMS, RVT,Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto
Writer: Elizabeth Bartholomew

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