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Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of soft structures like organs, veins, arteries and muscles. It relies on the same principles as sonar, which bounces sound waves off their target underwater to create an image. The sound waves of an ultrasound, produced by a transducer, are inaudible to humans and can move through skin and tissue to bounce off their target and return. A computer converts these sound waves into a static two- or three-dimensional image, which is called a sonogram.
Sometimes, ultrasound scanners linked to a Doppler probe can convert the sound waves into audible signals that measure motion, such as the movement of blood through a vein or artery. This version of the technology is called 4-D ultrasound. Technicians use it to study this information as it occurs (in real time) and record it for more detailed study later.
Neurologists sometimes use a kind of ultrasound called cerebrovascular doppler ultrasound to obtain images from unique vantage points, such as from the inside of an artery. The resulting images complement information from other imaging technologies.
An ultrasound procedure is usually painless and requires less time than many other medical imaging devices like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Since it is usually non-invasive, patients tolerate ultrasound well.
In addition to revealing plaque buildup and narrowed brain arteries, ultrasounds are useful in helping physicians perform a number of other tasks. The versatile imaging technology is used for diagnosing medical conditions, checking for damage to organs after an injury or illness, examining internal structures and organs, and determining the cause of infections, swelling or pain.
Physicians often rely on ultrasound for images of the body’s internal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, pancreas and kidneys. Others internal body parts that lend themselves to ultrasound imaging include the
Ultrasound can help guide physicians when they must extract a small amount of tissue for a biopsy to check for cancer. In patients with heart attack and heart disease, ultrasound is useful for helping physicians evaluate how extensive the damage is in a particular area.
Doppler ultrasound, a newer form of the technology, provides the capability to look at 4-D images, which are like movies instead of still pictures. This capability is useful when there’s a blood clot blocking an artery or a fatty deposit narrowing a blood vessel. Doppler ultrasound also provides a good look at tumors, birth defects and malformations to help physicians determine the best course of treatment.
What does an ultrasound procedure feel like? What other information do you need to know? It’s all here. If you’ve been told you need a sonogram (an ultrasound examination), Baptist Neurology Group is happy to schedule it for you. Contact us at any of our offices conveniently located throughout the Jacksonville area.
In most instances, there are no special preparations you have to make in advance for a non-invasive sonogram. For some abdominal screenings, you may be asked either to fast for a period of time or to drink several glasses of water and avoid urinating. Your doctor will provide specific instructions.
Types of Neurovascular Ultrasound include carotid (or extracranial) ultrasound and transcranial Doppler (or TCD) ultrasound. A TCD is like a stethoscope of the brain and may be used to diagnose spasm, narrowing or clots of the brain’s arteries. It can also be used to dissolve blood clots blocking blood flow within brain arteries.
Ultrasound equipment is more widely available than larger scanners, so patients have more locations to choose from. Many physicians’ offices are sonogram-capable. The simplest procedures usually take about 30 minutes; more complicated ones may take an hour or more.
Following the procedure, you should be able to resume all normal daily activities without restrictions.
Sometimes there’s a need to obtain an ultrasound image from a vantage point that’s located inside the body. These invasive kinds of sonograms require special preparation, and you may receive a form of general or local anesthesia. You’ll receive detailed instructions from your physician for any advance preparation and post-procedure care. Examples of this kind of invasive ultrasound procedures include:
Learn more about the various kinds of sonograms and the conditions they help physicians diagnose. If you’ve been told you need an ultrasound, contact us at Baptist Neurology Group to schedule the procedure for you.
As with any procedure, ultrasound has its strengths and weaknesses.
Ultrasound is good at visualizing soft tissue, muscles and the surfaces of bones as well as delineating the structure of organs being studied. It helps doctors arrive at a rapid diagnosis because it creates images in real time. Because no radioactive material is used, noninvasive ultrasound poses no known long-term health risks to patients or fetuses. There is little or no discomfort to the patient.
Ultrasound doesn’t produce good images if the sound waves must pass through dense material like bone or less dense material like air. This makes it difficult to obtain good images of the brain and other organs obstructed by bones as well as organs and structures located near air pockets. It is rarely used to scan the digestive system, pancreas or lungs. Ultrasound images lose some of their clarity when the area to be studied lies deep within the body, especially if the patient is obese.
Learn more about the various kinds of sonograms and the conditions they help physicians diagnose. If you've been told you need an ultrasound, contact us at Baptist Neurolgy Group to schedule the procedure for you.