What are the limitations of Venous Ultrasound Imaging?
What is Venous Ultrasound Imaging? All ultrasound exams use very high-frequency sound waves and echoes to obtain images of structures inside the body. Different signals are produced when the beam of sound waves is focused at a particular site and the waves bounce back from different types of tissue and body fluid. The resulting pattern of echoes forms an accurate picture of whatever is being examined, in this case the veins throughout the body that carry blood back to the heart. Ultrasound studies differ from x-rays in one very important respect: there is no exposure to ionizing radiation. Another term for an ultrasound exam is “sonography.” The principle of ultrasound imaging is very much like that of sonar—a method used by navy ships to detect submarines (or by fishing boats to locate large schools of fish). The echo pattern of the returning sound waves that bounce off the object makes it stand out from the background pattern. Another example of this principle is the bat, which, when
