What is ultrasound?
Ultrasound (US), also called sonography, is a method of dynamically imaging the body through the use of high-frequency sound waves beyond the range of hearing for humans and animals. A microphone-like instrument (transducer) is scanned over the skin. Gel is placed on the skin to improve the contact of the transducer to the area being examined. The sound waves are recorded and displayed as a real-time visual image. US can be used to examine many parts of the body including the abdomen, chest, heart, eyes, muscles and blood vessels, as well as the fetus during pregnancy. Because no ionizing radiation (x-ray) is involved, ultrasound is an extremely safe imaging modality. The procedure is painless and generally takes about 60 to 90 minutes to complete. An ultrasound exam is a minimally invasive technology that gives the pet owner and the veterinarian a great deal of information about the patient quickly and safely. Along with lab tests, radiographs and the physical exam, ultrasound can hel
Ultrasound consists of high frequency sound waves too high for the human ear to detect, rather like the noise used by bats and dolphins to determine where they are. These waves are emitted by an ultrasound probe and travel harmlessly through the body bouncing off various layers of tissue. The probe then hears these echoes which are relayed onto a screen allowing the pictures to be interpreted. Ultrasound is now the method of choice for monitoring the foetus during pregnancy and in diagnosis of numerous conditions involving organs such as the liver, kidney, heart and blood vessels.
A device called a transducer transmits high-frequency sound waves through the body tissue targeting a specific area within the body (the baby as our target). The sound wave bounces off a medium and returns echoes back to the ultrasound machine that are recorded, stored, and transformed into data that can be visualized in black and white 2D images on a television screen and then printed out in hard copy form (video or photograph). Now available in ultrasound is a color, three-dimensional view of the fetus. The clarity of these images can be compared to an actual photograph showing true facial features, expressions, actions, and even some habits that the baby has already picked up. A moving picture interpretation of the three-dimensional view is referred to as a 4-D ultrasound.
