What Can Ultrasound Machines do for you?

by Nicholas  

The applications of ultrasound machines are numerous and commonly used for obstetrics, echocardiography and biopsy just to name a few. Ultrasound Machines is a non-invasive way to provide invaluable valuable medical details compare to traditional tools and diagnosis techniques. In other word, it has greatly helped medicine become safer and more accurate. Here are some common functions of the process.

Ultrasound Scanning

Ultrasound Scanning

Ultrasound machines for obstetrics provide invaluable information about a woman’s pregnancy and her growing baby. The ultrasound scanning of uterus can view the baby’s current position, gender and condition. Such procedure can identify the conception date and ensure the fetus is in healthy development. The detailed scanning able to detect any abnormalities in the development of the fetus allowing doctor to make prompt decision for necessary treatment. Amniocentesis, a needle is inserted to take amniotic fluid for analysis cannot be done so easily without the help of ultrasound. Beside, it is effective tool for identifying general health of the baby, position of the placenta, ectopic pregnancy, potential miscarriage as well as early fetal death.

Fetal Ultrasound Image

Fetal Ultrasound Image

Aside from obstetric reasons, the thyroid gland, breasts bladder, spleen, and eyes for the presence of foreign objects can be detected through ultrasound machine. It is not uncommon tool to check the newborn babies in term of their brain, eye, internal organ such as the appendix and liver. The machine also used during fine needle biopsy procedures. It gives an actual moving image for guiding the needle to reach the specific spot correctly.

Echocardiography is a specific type of ultrasound for heart checking. It can be used to detect congenital heart disease. This may includes complications in the large blood vessels, blood clots in the heart chambers, heart muscle damage or enlargement or cardiomyopathy and pericarditis or inflammation of the pericardium. Echocardiography comes in very handy to identify disorders of heart valves. The velocity of blood flow through the heart indirectly can be measured using Doppler echocardiography. Malfunctioning valves in the case of aortic stenosis and mitral insufficiency ca be detected as well.

The functions of ultrasound procedures are largely depend on the organ to be diagnosed as well as the condition of the patients. Such medical procedure is very simple and quicker than you think. It needs neither special requirements nor special preparations. However, the procedure is advisable to be carried out only by trained medical professional in radiology.

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3D & 4D Fetal Ultrasound Scan

by Nicholas  

Do you want to see your baby even before he or she being born? Yes, seeing your own baby on a screen is indeed a very exciting moment especially at your very first time in your life. Fetal ultrasound machine is a great technology breakthrough which allowing you to see the profile and condition of your baby in 3D as well as 4D images. Many people get to know the gender of the baby, but more important function of the machine is to evaluate the growth and development of the fetus. In other word, this medical practice is intended for abnormalities detection.

3D Fetal Ultrasound Image

Fetal ultrasound machines can be used at anytime during the pregnancy. However, most women are offered an ultrasound between 18 and 20 weeks that is commonly known as the anomaly scan. The standard ultrasound takes about 20 minutes in 2D images. The baby’s gestational age, growth and development is the objective of the scan. Detecting problems in the body will require more advanced equipment (advanced ultrasound) by providing 3D images that can easily take about 30 minutes to several hours.

Routine ultrasounds can be used for pregnancy confirmation by detecting current location of developing fetus. Professional trained medical staff able to treat ectopic or tubal pregnancy by knowing the exact location of the fetus. This could be a very crucial process before the mother’s health is being threatened. It also can help you determine the number of babies present should you have a multiple pregnancy. Besides, you will be able to know your baby’s gestational age. Thus, knowing the due date and different milestones of the pregnancy shall no longer a mystery. Other than that, your doctor is able to analyze the baby’s breathing, heart rate and movement too.
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Breast Ultrasound Scan

by Nicholas  

Breast ultrasound is non-invasive and painless medical procedure. It requires you to expose the area to be examined to high-frequency sound vibrations so that any abnormalities like lumps, masses and cysts can be detected. In other words, it uses sound vibrations in order to see tissues inside the breast. The process does not involve X-rays and possibly harmful kinds of radiation, thus Breast Ultrasound Machine is considered very safe and effective.

Breast Ultrasound

Breast Ultrasound

Breast ultrasound images can identify the cause of many breast symptoms like redness, pain and swelling. And it is capable to see the features and nature of breast anomalies such as solid or fluid-filled. Therefore, doctors can determine whether the lump or tumour is cancerous or not. Of course, more tests will be required either with fluid or one without any fluid if necessary. Doppler techniques could be used to check the blood circulation in the areas as masses generally will lack of blood flow.

The ultrasound can also confirm with abnormal results found during mammography. For those people with dense breasts and who have silicone breast implant, ultrasound is good to present details accurately instead of mammogram. Besides, breast surgery and biopsy will need the guidance of ultrasound. Needle insertion procedure to drain fluids that accumulate in cysts or abscesses could be impossible without the present of ultrasound. Clear gel will be placed on intended areas. It feels a bit cold at first. You will then feel the transducer in contact with your body.
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Preparation Prior to the Ultrasound Examination

by Nicholas  

Comparing to other traditional diagnostic techniques and technology, getting ready for ultrasound scanning doesn’t take too much effort and time. Ultrasound machines are wisely use in clinics and hospital these days. Most of the procedures require no special preparation whatsoever. However, the following are some useful guidelines for you before you taking up the medical procedure.

Preparation prio to ultrasound?

Any preparation prio to ultrasound?

It is always a good practice to consult your doctor first on what you need to be ready before you heading to the clinic. You may require coming with empty stomach or perhaps a full bladder depending on the organ to be checked. For pregnancy woman, the full bladder will make the imaging better as the extra bulge displaces intestine loops. So, don’t urinate before the test and drink more water prior to the scanning. On the other hand, ultrasound scan on a liver will require patients to fast several hours before the procedure taking place.

Babies aging 1 year old and above should keep their bladder full by drinking more water before the scan. However, you should not feed babies aging 2 months old 2 hours before the test for abdominal ultrasound scan. Drinking and eating are strictly prohibited for babies aging 3 up to 12 months prior to the procedure. No food and drink intake for children from 1 to 8 years old 5-hour before the test. Six hours prior to ultrasound test, individuals above 8 years old are also prohibited to take any kind of food and drink. [Read more...]

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What You Don’t Know About Ultrasound Machines

by Nicholas  

Ultrasound machines can provide invaluable information in diagnosis of diseases and conditions. It allows most disorders to be detected earlier, thus allowing treatment to start more quickly and accurately. The applications of ultrasound machines include biomedical applications as well as industrial applications. As a matter of fact, it could be considered as the most used equipment either in clinics or hospital these days. Ultrasound is far more effective and safe compared to those old techniques practiced in decades past. However, how much do we understand about the process? And do you really need it? Let’s look into it application one by one in general.

Ultrasound Image

Ultrasound Image

Ultrasound machines have been used for a minimum of 50 years among human beings. As we all know, cyclic sound pressure having a frequency higher than the human hearing upper limit is called ultrasound. The average lower limit is 20 kilohertz. On the other hand, the upper limit can be varying depending on individual. An accurate measurement can be obtained based on the reflection projected by the focused energy as it penetrates the intended medium. Taking photo of babies inside the uterus is one of the most popular applications of ultrasound. Medical sonography or ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique used for diagnosis. By using real time tomographic images, it can visualize internal organs, muscles and other specifics such as the structure, size and present lesions.

Ultrasound in biomedical uses is for therapeutic purposes, together with medications. Therapeutic ultrasound machines are often used in physical therapy, occupational therapy and cancer treatment. It uses more powerful sources to create local heating among body tissues. Phacoemulsification is the procedure used for treating cataracts by using focused ultrasound. High intensity focused ultrasound or HIFU is also highly effective in treating malignant and benign tumors. Abdominal ultrasound, rectal ultrasound in men and vaginal ultrasound in women is the ideal procedure in detecting pelvic abnormalities. Besides, ultrasound is a good guide tool in cosmetic surgery such as liposuction. Elastography, lipectomy, sclerotherapy and endovenous laser treatment are some of the procedures that may also involve the use of ultrasound. [Read more...]

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The Development of Ultrasound Machines

by Nicholas  

Big thanks to the evolving technology in quick manner, ultrasound machines have shown to be quite effective and useful in accurately diagnosis underlying conditions and diseases. People nowadays don’t have to bear with time consuming and painful diagnosis techniques used back in those old days. In the early days, Medical Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) is also regarded as ultrasound scanner.

In 1794, Lazzaro Spallanzani from Italy discovered how bats can accurately navigate in the dark using echo reflection from inaudible sound in high frequency. Dr. Jean-Daniel Colladon from Switzerland at the other hand found out the speed of sound in Lake Geneva by using a bell underwater back in 1826. But the fundamental physics of sound waves, refraction, propagation and transmission had been identified by physicists only during the later 1800s.

Old Ultrasound Machine

Old Ultrasound Machine

The discovery of piezo-electric effect by Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie from France in 1880 marked the breakthrough of the development in ultrasound application. Since then, people started to realize that ultrasound generation and receiving is in megahertz. However the very first sonar detection system was used in measuring distance using sound waves underwater.

In 1942, Dr. Karl Theodore Dussik from Austria investigated transmission ultrasound in the brain. He published several interesting findings ultrasonics in medical diagnosis. Dr. Ian Donald started working on experiments involving the industrial ultrasonic metal flaw detector on July 21, 1955. He was the one who proved that sonar is very effective in detecting and differentiating fibroids, abdominal tumors and cysts. The works of Dr. Ian Donald and his colleagues from Glasgow have led to the wider use of the ultrasound in present medical practice. [Read more...]

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