Ultrasound Testing Specialist

What Is Ultrasound Testing?

Sometimes called “sonography” or “diagnostic medical sonography,” an ultrasound is an imaging test that employs high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures in the body. Such images often provide valuable information for the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases and conditions. Most ultrasound testing is done by way of an external sonar device, though on a few occasions, it is done with a device placed within a patient’s body.

What Is Ultrasound Testing Used for?

Ultrasound is used for a variety of reasons, including to:

• Diagnose gallbladder disease
• View the ovaries and uterus of a pregnant woman
• Assess the health and development of a fetus
• Evaluate flow in blood vessels
• Evaluate a breast lump
• Guide a needle for biopsy or tumor treatment
• Check a thyroid gland
• Reveal genital and prostate abnormalities
• Diagnose some cancers

What Can You Expect During an Ultrasound?

Generally, a patient is asked to remove all jewelry, change into a gown and lie on a table. Gel is applied to the skin on the part of the body to be examined to eliminate air pockets that might prevent the sound waves from forming. A sonographer presses a transducer, a small hand-held device, against the skin and moves it over the area being examined. Sound waves are transmitted into the body, and sound waves bounce back and are sent to a computer, which creates the images.

For an internal ultrasound, a probe with a transducer attached is inserted into a natural opening in the body. Internal ultrasounds include:

• Transrectal ultrasound – a transducer inserted into a man’s rectum in order to view his prostate.
• Transesophageal echocardiogram – a transducer inserted into the esophagus, typically after sedation, in order to obtain heart images.
• Transvaginal ultrasound – a transducer inserted into a woman’s vagina in order to view her ovaries and uterus.

Ultrasound testing is generally painless and takes from 30 minutes to an hour.