How Does An Ultrasound Machine Work?

Sometimes a person may question how an ultrasound machine works. Patients sometimes have questions when they receive a referral or an exam or diagnosis. They also want to make sure that the process is safe, as would an interested parent or guardian when taking a child for an exam. We go into the science of how an ultrasound machine works.

Ultrasound Waves

Ultrasound waves are a type of high-frequency sound wave. They can travel through soft body tissue, such as the skin and the blood. When they bounce off a hard object, they create an echo. The echo transmits back to the device that has emitted the wave.

During an examination, the sound waves bounce off an object through which they cannot penetrate, such as bone, air, or metal. These echoes create an image of the area, which can identify abnormalities. They reflect the image back to a probe that has sent out the waves, and some can travel faster than others. On a computer or screen, the image assembles from all of the waves to create a whole. A medical condition like a tumor will show up on an ultrasound when it’s been performed correctly.

How Does An Ultrasound Machine Work?

During an exam, the doctor or technician on staff will sit a patient on an examining table. They will put ultrasound gel on the area that they intend to examine. For checking a larger organ such as the uterus, there may be a large amount of gel. A small organ like the thyroid may require a tinier amount.

The gel allows for the soundwaves to render a more accurate image through the body, to account for bone. Waves go between the transducer and the area they are examining, while a separate LED or LCD screen will assemble the whole. Often the body area, and the bone structure, will determine a baseline for the organ that doctors are examining.

Medical staff will send the exam images to a radiologist, who will examine them and make a diagnosis. A radiologist will take a few days to review the results and send them, as they have to examine hundreds if not thousands of images on a regular basis.

Ideally, a patient should wear loose, comfortable clothing and leave jewelry at home. The procedure may be as short as a few minutes. In the case of animal patients, some may need coaxing to stand still, and sedation in the case of longer exams or disquiet tempers. Ideally, however, an ultrasound for that long won’t be necessary during a routine exam.

Tune Into Higher Frequencies With National Ultrasound

National Ultrasound is more than proud to provide you with the machine that you need for your medical facility. We have new and refurbished options that can match your budget as well as patient capacity.

To find out more, please reach out to us today. The National Ultrasound representatives are more than ready to answer all of your questions about what machine to use for your next examination. Find out what medical imaging is ideal.