The idea for the blog du jour comes from a patient experience John and I recently had. We occasionally have the opportunity to work together. During this exam, he does what he does best, which is performing diagnostic ultrasound exams. His ultrasound expertise spans about 3 ½ decades.
NO BIG DEAL
On this particular occasion, he was doing an echocardiogram on a patient while I did paperwork and patient education. Needless to say, our patient was a bit nervous. If you’ve ever had an echocardiogram or an ultrasound, you know it is no big deal. If you haven’t, you might have questions.
HOW MUCH RADIATION WILL I RECIEVE?
This particular patient had never had an ultrasound exam before. Among many of her questions, one of them was “How much radiation will I receive?” Let me give you a verbatim explanation from fda.gov. “Ultrasound imaging (sonography) uses a high-frequency sound waves to view inside the body. Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can also show movement of the body’s internal organs as well as blood flowing through the blood vessels. Unlike X-ray imaging, there is no ionizing radiation exposure associated with ultrasound imaging.” So, there you have it.
WILL IT HURT?
This is actually a fairly common question. “Will it hurt?” The answer is no, but occasionally, it can be slightly uncomfortable. Let me explain. In an ultrasound exam, a transducer also known as a probe, is placed directly on the skin or inside a body opening. A thin layer of gel is applied to the probe or skin so that the ultrasound waves are transmitted from the transducer through the gel into the body. Occasionally the sonographer has to apply pressure to the probe to make sure there is good contact or to compress an internal structure. Occasionally, a patient will comment that it is slightly uncomfortable or feel a bit of pressure, but it really no big deal.
WHY ULTRASOUND?
There are actually many uses for diagnostic ultrasound imaging. It is a useful tool that can help your healthcare provider evaluate, diagnose and treat many medical conditions for instance…
- Ultrasound guided needle placement
- Fetal ultrasound
- Echocardiogram
- Doppler ultrasound (to visualize blood flow to blood vessels and organs)
- Breast ultrasound
- Abdominal ultrasound (to visualize abdominal tissues and organs)
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound (to view muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints)
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of today’s blog is to give you a small glimpse into the wonders of ultrasound. The world can observe what is on the surface of the skin. It is with diagnostic ultrasound imaging that we can actually see what lies beneath the surface of your skin.
HDD
We at HDD are proud of our team of well trained, experienced professionals. Our ultrasound technologists are top notch, as well as our front office staff, and ladies who work behind the scenes to keep this well-oiled machine running. If you and your provider determine diagnostic ultrasound is indicated, don’t hesitate to contact us at 505-359-3397.