Ultrasound
What is an Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz) in healthy, young adults and thus, 20 kHz serves as a useful lower limit in describing ultrasound.
The production of ultrasound is used in many different fields, typically to penetrate a medium and measure the reflection signature or supply focused energy. The reflection signature can reveal details about the inner structure of the medium, a property also used by animals such as bats for hunting. The most well known application of ultraound is its use in sonography to produce pictures of fetuses in the human womb. There are a vast number of other applications as well.
The Methodist Willowbrook Imaging Center – has a highly advanced ultrasound unit with the ability to perform the whole realm of ultrasound procedures, including non-vascular interventional procedures.
Two of the most commonly used types of ultrasound–based diagnostic medical imaging techniques are:
- Medical sonography (ultrasonography) – Used to visualize muscles, tendons, and many internal organs, their size, structure and any pathological lesions with real time tomographic (cross-sectional) images. The process is also used to visualize a fetus during routine and emergency prenatal care.
- Obstetric sonography – Commonly used during pregnancy, obstetric sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to form an image of a fetus or internal organs. Such usages contribute to it being one of the most widely used diagnostic tools in modern medicine.
Ultrasound imaging is relatively inexpensive and portable, especially when compared with modalities such as MRI and CT. Other types of ultrasound testing include but are not limited to:
- Small parts sonography
- Gynecological sonography
- Abdominal vascular exams
- Assisting in soft tissue organ biopsies and fine–needle aspirations
For more information about Willowbrook Imaging & Diagnostic Services at the Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, please call 281-737-1234.
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