Ultrasound

May 20, 2019

Ultrasound imaging uses sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the
body. It is used to help diagnose the causes of pain, swelling and infection in the
body’s internal organs and to examine a baby in pregnant women and the brain and
hips in infants. It’s also used to help guide biopsies, diagnose heart conditions, and
assess damage after a heart attack. Ultrasound is safe, noninvasive, and does not
use ionizing radiation.

What are some common uses of the procedure?
Ultrasound examinations can help to diagnose a variety of conditions and to assess
organ damage following illness.

Ultrasound is used to help physicians evaluate symptoms such as:

• pain
• swelling
• infection

Ultrasound is a useful way of examining many of the body’s internal organs,
including but not limited to the:

• heart and blood vessels, including the abdominal aorta and its major branches
• liver
• gallbladder
• spleen
• pancreas
• kidneys
• bladder
• uterus, ovaries, and unborn child (fetus) in pregnant patients
• eyes
• thyroid and parathyroid glands
• scrotum (testicles)
• brain in infants
• hips in infants
• spine in infants

Ultrasound is also used to:

• guide procedures such as needle biopsies, in which needles are used to sample cells from an abnormal area for laboratory testing.
• image the breasts and guide biopsy of breast cancer.
• diagnose a variety of heart conditions, including valve problems and congestive heart failure, and to assess damage after a heart attack.

Ultrasound of the heart is commonly called an “echocardiogram” or “echo” for short.

Doppler ultrasound images can help the physician to see and evaluate:

• blockages to blood flow (such as clots)
• narrowing of vessels
• tumors and congenital vascular malformations
• reduced or absent blood flow to various organs
• greater than normal blood flow to different areas, which is sometimes seen
  in infections