Ultrasounds are imaging testing methods that use high frequency sound waves to produce images of structures inside your body. Diagnostic ultrasounds are used to provide valuable information for diagnosing and treating many different conditions and diseases, since they allow your doctor to see problems with your organs and tissues without ever needing to make an incision.
Why are diagnostic ultrasounds performed?
There are many different things that a diagnostic ultrasound may be used for. The most common uses include:
- Diagnosing gallbladder disease
- Evaluating the flow in your blood vessels
- Guiding a needle for a biopsy
- Evaluating a breast lump
- Checking your thyroid gland
- Revealing prostate and genital abnormalities
- Diagnosing some types of cancer
What are the risks of a diagnostic ultrasound?
Since diagnostic ultrasounds use low power sound waves, there are no potential health risks that are associated with them. However, ultrasounds do have their limitations, since sound waves don’t travel well through bone or air. This means that an ultrasound may not be effective when looking at areas of your body that are hidden by bone or contain gas. Therefore, to view these particular areas, your doctor may need to order different kinds of imaging tests such as MRIs, CT scans, or X-rays.
What happens during a diagnostic ultrasound?
You will probably have to remove all of your jewelry and most of your clothing before an ultrasound so you can change into a gown and lie on an examination table. Then, gel is applied to your skin to keep air pockets from forming, since they can block the sound waves and prevent the ultrasound from working as it should. Sonographers are trained technicians that perform diagnostic ultrasounds. The transducer is a small handheld device that is about the size of a bar of soap. It sends sound waves into your body and then collects the sound waves that bounce back before sending them to a computer where the images are created. The sonographer presses the transducer against the area of your skin that is being examined and moves it as necessary to capture the live images.
There might be a slightly different procedure if the diagnostic ultrasound is being performed inside your body rather than outside of it. In this circumstance, the transducer is attached to a probe that is inserted into a natural opening in your body. There are different types of internal diagnostic ultrasounds, including:
- Transesophageal echocardiogram: This procedure involves inserting the transducer into your esophagus in order to obtain images of your heart. You are usually sedated for this type of diagnostic ultrasound.
- Transrectal ultrasound: This procedure involves inserting the transducer into a man’s rectum to view and examine the prostate to check for any abnormal tissue that might indicate cancer.
- Transvaginal ultrasound: This type of diagnostic ultrasound involves inserting the transducer into a woman’s vagina. This allows your doctor to view your uterus, cervix, and ovaries to check for certain types of cancer or other abnormalities.
