How Does an Ultrasound Scan Work?
A small, hand-held probe or sensor delivers a pulse of ultrasound waves towards the part of the body where the sonographer needs to look. The sensor is attached to a computer via a lead, which translates bounced-back sound waves into pictures on a screen. All this happens very fast, with each pulse of sound lasting about 1/1000th of a second, and the returned echoes within another 1/1000th of a second. As the sensor passes over the surface of the skin it sends these pulses of high-frequency sound down inside the body, receiving echoes from the organs and soft tissues. The echoes come back to the sensor in different strengths depending on the density of the object. An ultrasound scan is completely painless and even the gel used to spread on the skin is often heated these days! An ultrasound scan is often used during pregnancy to see inside the womb and check on baby’s progress…. Profile of the Author: This article is written by Jackie Griffiths , a freelance journalist who writes heal
