Ultrasound

Many new discoveries in medical technology have improved the instruments and machines designed to help doctors better treat their patients. One modern tool, called ultrasound, lets doctors "see" inside a patient's body. It is often used to check the well-being of the fetus during pregnancy.

Available today in every major hospital and in many doctor's offices, ultrasound is used in almost every field of medicine. This new technology has become extremely valuable in the health care of women, both in gynecology-the overall health care of a woman's reproductive organs and breasts -- and during pregnancy and childbirth.

What Is Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is energy in the form of sound waves. The sound waves move at a frequency too high to be heard by the human ear. By reflecting off internal organs and being "read" by scanners, the sound waves create pictures of the internal organs and, during pregnancy, the fetus. Ultrasound differs from X-rays in that it uses sound instead of X-rays, making it safer for the fetus as well as the mother.

Energy in the form of sound waves is reflected off internal organs or, during pregnancy, the fetus. The reflected sound waves are transformed into an image on a TV-type monitor.

How Ultrasound Works
There are various types of ultrasound that can record information in different ways. The method used depends on the circumstances. They all work on the same basic principle. Sound waves, produced by a small crystal, are directed into a specific area of the body through a microphone- device called a transducer. The transducer is moved across the skin surface, "scanning" the area.

Vaginal transducer
Another type of transducer, used in vaginal ultrasound, is designed to be inserted into the vagina to aid the doctor in viewing the pelvic organs. The sound waves bounce off tissues inside the body, like echoes, and are converted into an image on a television-like screen.

Ways Ultrasound Is Used
Ultrasound is not necessary for every woman or every pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss with you whether ultrasound will be used and how often it should be done to best suit the health and well being of you and your baby. Ultrasound is often used by the doctor, along with information from your medical background and physicals, to detect a problem or to monitor a condition. It can provide information that cannot be obtained with other methods.

In obstetrics, ultrasound is used to evaluate the growing fetus inside the mother's uterus. Being able to evaluate the pregnancy in this way is especially important if the doctor suspects that the fetus is growing improperly or may have an abnormality. The doctor can then advise a course of action in attempt to reduce the risks to you and your baby.

Ultrasound also plays a role in gynecology. It is used to examine the pelvic organs and, usually along with mammography (X-ray of the breasts), the breasts.

• It can help identify a pelvic or breast mass.
• It can help show where a mass is and what it looks like-its size, shape, and consistency.
• It can also help detect whether a lump in the breast is cystic (filled with fluid) or solid.
• It can help detect problems causing pelvic pain.
• It can locate the position of an intrauterine device (IUD).
• It can help monitor ovulation (the release of an egg by an ovary) in treating infertility.

Source: Patient education material from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology was used as a source of information to develop the content for this topic.

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