Archive for February, 2010

How Ultrasound Machines are Used for Obstetric and Non-Obstetric Purposes

Ultrasound technology is used for many applications within medicine and industry, but its most common use is in the field of obstetrics. Doctors use ultrasound machines during pregnancy to view the uterus and fetus, a test that is usually performed between 16 and 18 weeks into the pregnancy.

Some of the ways that ultrasound is used in obstetrics include:

* Determining the date of conception and the expected due date, as well as fetal size
* Revealing multiple pregnancies
* Identifying fetal abnormalities
* Diagnosing congenital heart disease
* Amniocentesis
* Determining the position of the placenta
* Diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy or impending miscarriage, or the cause of early fetal death

In addition to pregnancy-related issues, ultrasound can also be used to view the fallopian tubes, ovaries and other female reproductive organs to look for cysts and determine the cause of infertility.

Non obstetric uses for ultrasound machines include treatment and diagnosis of many disorders, including:

* Examination of internal organs, such as the appendix to diagnose appendicitis
* Scanning the brain of a newborn baby
* Evaluating the eyes
* Locating gallstones in bile ducts or the gallbladder
* Scanning the liver to diagnose cirrhosis, cysts, abscesses or tumors
* Scanning of the kidneys to diagnose congenital defects, hydronephrosis or other obstructions
* Close examination of tendon tears

The uses of ultrasound machines have grown exponentially since the early days of ultrasound technology, and the technology continues to advance. New ultrasound applications are discovered on a very regular basis, and it is now being used in many surgical procedures.

Ultrasound Machines in Modern Medicine

Ultrasound is a word that is used to describe sound that on such a high frequency that the human ear cannot hear it. In general, the lowest frequency at which ultrasound can be done is 20 KHz, because anything below this frequency is audible to the human ear, which is known as infra-sound.

Ultrasound machines use a transducer, which emits ultrasound waves and detects their echoes, then transmits this information to a computer monitor. From there, the echoing sound waves are transformed into images, allowing doctors to see organs or a human fetus with clarity. The benefit of using ultrasound is that it has no known harmful effects to the human body and uses no radiation, making it much safer form of diagnostic technology than x-rays.

In the world of medicine, ultrasound machines have many applications, but the most common one is collecting information about the fetus during pregnancy. Depending on the type of ultrasound machine and where it is used on the body, it can be used to treat many different types of health problems.

Ultrasound can detect abnormalities in the heart, organs and other parts of the body. Ultrasound surgery can be used to treat tumors by focusing a highly intense ultrasound wave at specific frequencies. It can deliver highly penetrable chemotherapy medication to brain cells for treatment of brain cancer. Ultrasound can also administer physiotherapy; treatment of cataracts and even for teeth cleaning. Ultrasound is also used in many forms of diagnostic treatment, but most commonly for viewing a woman’s uterus and the fetus during pregnancy.

Thanks to recent advances in ultrasound technology, doctors expect to be using ultrasound machines more and more as a way to treat patients.