- What is an Ultrasound?
- What is a doppler ultrasound?
- Why has my doctor recommended an ultrasound?
- What will the exam be like?
- How long will the exam take?
- When will I know my results?
What is an Ultrasound?
Ultrasound utilizes sound waves to obtain a medical image or picture of various organs and tissues in the body. It is a painless and safe procedure.
Ultrasound produces very precise images of your soft tissue (heart, blood vessels, uterus, bladder, etc.) and reveals internal motion such as your heart beat and blood flow. It can detect diseased or damaged tissues, locate abnormal growths and identify a wide variety of changing conditions including fetal development, which enables our physicians to make a quick and accurate diagnosis.
What is a doppler ultrasound?
A doppler ultrasound is a special type of ultrasound that evaluates blood velocity as it flows through a blood vessel. This type of ultrasound is used to view the veins and arteries of the abdominal organs as well as other vessels throughout the body.
Why has my doctor recommended an ultrasound?
There are a number of reasons why your doctor may have recommended an ultrasound. Ultrasound is a safe, affordable, and non-invasive procedure that provides valuable information to your physician. Most people associate ultrasound as being used during pregnancy for the first glimpse of a developing baby in the womb, but doctors use ultrasound widely to gain advanced insight for a variety of reasons including things such as abdominal, breast, thyroid, soft-tissue, heart, and vascular problems.
What will the exam be like?
The technologist performing the ultrasound study is known as a sonographer. All technologists are highly skilled and educated. The technologists work under close supervision with our radiologists who will monitor the exam to assure that the most accurate results are obtained from your examination.
The technologist will explain the procedure, take a brief history, and assist you onto the examination table. A transmission gel will be applied to the area of the body that will be examined. A transducer will be moved slowly over the body part being imaged. The transducer sends a signal to an on-board computer which processes the data and produces the ultrasound image. It is from this image that the diagnosis is made.
How long will the exam take?
The exam usually takes from 30 to 60 minutes, depending upon the anatomy under study.
When will I know my results?
The radiologist will study your films and report the findings to the referring physician within 24 hours. Your referring physician will discuss your ultrasound results with you.
