We are very excited about our new Ultrasound machine that produces coloured images!

Ultrasonography (Ultrasound)                                                                                                                                                                   

Ultrasonography is a non invasive imaging method that provides more detail on organ structures, irrigation and internal details.

In modern scanning systems, the sound beam is swept through the body many times per second, producing a dynamic, real-time image that changes as the transducer is moved across the body. This real-time image is easier to interpret and allows the examiner to scan continuously until a satisfactory image is obtained.

Ultrasonography cannot be used to scan gas-filled or bony tissues. The sound beam is reflected at soft tissue/gas interfaces and absorbed at soft tissue/bone interfaces. Gas and bone also “shadow” any other organs beyond them. Bowel gas can inhibit imaging of adjacent abdominal organs, and the heart must be imaged from locations that do not require the sound beam to pass through the lungs.

Although ultrasound can be used to evaluate most soft tissues, the heart and abdominal organs are most commonly examined.

In the past, organs such as the adrenal glands and pancreas were only seen if diseased and enlarged, but modern ultrasound machines produce images of such quality that the normal          adrenal glands and pancreas can be seen.

Sonographic lesions are sometimes quite characteristic of a given disease process, but more often the changes are nonspecific. While ultrasonography can be quite sensitive for detection of disease, the changes are not specific for a given disease in most cases.

In many cases ultrasonography can be used to direct biopsy instruments to acquire tissue samples thus avoiding the need for more invasive surgery. Lesions buried within large organs such as the liver and kidneys may be detected and biopsied with ultrasonographic guidance. Pre-surgical diagnosis permits more thorough and specific planning of surgical procedures and pre-surgical treatment of lesions.

Echocardiography

Ultrasonographic images can be used to acquire information about cardiac function.

Doppler ultrasound makes use of the familiar phenomenon that sound emitted from a moving object such as a train has a different apparent frequency to someone standing still relative to the moving object. If the object is moving away from the observer the frequency of the sound is lower; conversely, if the emitter is moving toward the observer the frequency of the sound is higher. The same is true of ultrasound. Echoes from moving red blood cells change the frequency of the sound reflected back to the transducer. This is used to identify valvular regurgitation (insufficiency), increased flow velocity, or abnormal movement of the blood in the heart or vessels elsewhere in the body. Thus, Doppler studies complement and improve the accuracy and specificity of standard echocardiograms.