Ultrasound
Ultrasound imaging, also called ultrasound scanning or sonography, involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body. Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can show the structure and movement of the body's internal organs and blood flowing through blood vessels.
Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions and to assess organ damage following illness, including:
- Abdominal and Transabdominal
- Biopsy
- Breast, Gynecological, and Transvaginal
- Neck lymph node evaluation
- Neonatal and Obstetrical
- Paracentesis
- Pelvic
- Testicular
- Thoracentesis
- Thyroid and Thyroid biopsy
- Ultrasound-guided biopsies
- Urology
- Vascular
Ultrasounds are also used to:
- Guide procedures such as needle biopsies, in which needles are used to extract sample cells from an abnormal area for laboratory testing
- Image the breasts and guide biopsy of breast cancer
- Diagnose a variety of heart conditions and assess damage after a heart attack or diagnose valvular heart disease
Doppler ultrasounds, which use sound waves to see how blood flows through a blood vessel, can be used to evaluate blockages to blood flow (such as clots), narrowing of vessels (which may be caused by plaque), and tumors and congenital malformation.
