What is the Value of Ultrasound Gel During a Medical Ultrasound Examination?
Medical Ultrasound relies on the reflection, refraction and scattering of ultrasound waves by the body structures to produce an image. If it did not occur, none of the Ultrasound energy would return to the ultrasound transducer to be converted in to an image. The strength of reflection of the Ultrasound wave at an interface is partially dependent upon the difference in acoustic impedance of the two structures making up the interface. The greater this difference in impedance, the more of the ultrasound wave is reflected. At the skin / transducer interface there is a very significant difference in the acoustic impedance of the two structures and therefore virtually all of the Ultrasound energy is reflected. Couple this fact with the observation that the Ultrasound has to pass through this interface twice, once on the way into the body, and once on the way back out to the transducer, and you can easily see that no significant ultrasound energy is going to return to generate an image. Furt
