What is ultrasound (ultrasound diagnostics)?
Ultrasound diagnostics is the most common, safe and accessible type of research, which allows you to check the condition of the patient’s internal organs, identify the disease in the early stages of its occurrence and prescribe the correct treatment. It has virtually no contraindications and can be performed on both adults and children, as well as the elderly, people with disabilities and pregnant women. What is ultrasound and how is it performed?
Ultrasound diagnostics - what is it?
Ultrasound diagnostics or ultrasound is a research method that uses high-frequency waves. Each ultrasound machine has a transmitter and a receiving receiver in its design - the transmitter emits waves that are reflected differently from tissues of different densities, and the receiver receives the reflected signals. The received waves are converted into an image. Until recently, the doctor saw only a flat, unclear black and white image on the screen, but over the past few years, with the development of computer technology, equipment models have appeared on the market that allow combining waves of different frequencies and obtaining color volumetric images for multi-frequency Doppler, 3D and 4D diagnostics and elastography.
The most popular ultrasound diagnostic tests are:
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity - examination of the gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and liver - allows us to identify focal and diffuse pathologies of parenchymal tissues, anomalies in the structure, pathology and formations of various types in the gall bladder, spleen, liver and pancreas, as well as carry out assessment of retroperitoneal lymph nodes, vessels and bile ducts;
- Ultrasound of the kidneys, bladder, ureters - allows you to assess the size of organs, their compliance with normal values, the condition of the tissues of the kidneys, bladder and renal ducts, identify the presence of stones and hidden pathologies;
- Ultrasound of the reproductive system in women - allows you to evaluate the structure of tissues and fallopian tubes, uterus and ovaries, identify the presence of an inflammatory process, cysts, and determine the cause of infertility;
- Ultrasound of the male reproductive system - allows you to determine the state of the tissue structure, the size of the testicles, the presence of inflammatory processes, cysts or stones, as well as malignant neoplasms;
- Ultrasound of the heart - allows you to identify structural disorders and abnormal expansion of tissues;
- Ultrasound for pregnant women - allows you to assess the growth and development of the fetus, identify possible placental disorders.
Advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound diagnostics
The main advantages of using ultrasound diagnostics are:
- Non-invasive research method - ultrasound does not require the use of needles or injections, it is completely painless for the patient and does not cause him discomfort;
- Availability and cost-effectiveness - ultrasound is the cheapest diagnostic method, and research equipment is available in almost all medical centers and hospitals;
- Complete safety - ultrasound does not use radioactive radiation, and over the entire period of use of the diagnostic, not a single confirmed negative side effect has been identified. The study can be carried out on children of any age, elderly people and pregnant women;
- Minimal time consumption - ultrasound shows the condition of internal organs in real time and usually takes no more than a few 10-15 minutes.
There is only one drawback of ultrasound diagnostics - in the vast majority of cases, ultrasound does not allow for a high-quality examination of the gastrointestinal tract and muscular system. Ultrasound waves are blocked by gas in the lungs or gastrointestinal tract, as well as by dense bone tissue. Contraindications for ultrasound diagnostics can only be skin lesions or skin diseases over the area being examined, as well as internal bleeding or injury in the area being examined.
How to undergo an ultrasound diagnostic procedure?
Most types of ultrasound diagnostics do not require special preparation from the patient, but there are a few exceptions. If certain areas of the abdomen are being examined, the user will need to avoid drinking or eating for several hours before the procedure. To examine the reproductive system in women, the doctor may ask you to drink a large amount of water first so that the bladder is full.
During ultrasound diagnostics, the doctor applies a special gel to the skin over the area being examined to ensure better sound transmission and ideal glide of the head. The head of the device is placed on the skin and moves across the area, forming an image on the screen. To diagnose certain organs, the head can be inserted into the patient’s body vaginally (uterus or ovaries) and rectally (prostate forest). Recovery after ultrasound is not required.