Ultrasound is a diagnostic tool that uses sound waves to create images of the body. It is commonly used during pregnancy to show the fetal heartbeat, growth, and gender, but can also diagnose other conditions. Ultrasound is safe, non-invasive, and provides valuable information to doctors.
One of the most useful diagnostic tools of the last 100 years is ultrasound. While most people think of it in terms of pregnancy, ultrasound is also useful for detecting and diagnosing many other conditions.
Ultrasound is the evolved version of sonar. Essentially, it uses sound waves to paint a picture of what’s happening inside the body. Ultrasound consists of a transducer, a computer, and a monitor. The transducer emits sound waves into the body. These waves are interpreted by the computer and resolved into an image of the structure on the monitor.
The ultrasound operator first determines the part of the body to be scanned and cleans it with a thin gel that helps the transducer glide over the skin and helps conduct sound waves inside the body. The ultrasound is painless and takes only a few minutes. One reason it is commonly used on pregnant women is that it is a safe, non-invasive procedure. Ultrasound provides a lot of information about a pregnancy without the need for surgery. It is also safe for almost all patients, as it only emits sound waves.
Doctors can glean a surprising amount of information from an ultrasound during pregnancy. Ultrasound can show the fetal heartbeat, the growth of the baby’s skull and body, and many birth defects, such as cleft lip or spina bifida. The obstetrician can also see if there is an adequate amount of amniotic fluid in the uterus through an ultrasound.
Of course, what many parents want the ultrasound to show is the gender of the baby. The scan can also show fetal activity, such as thumb sucking, and the new 3D version can give a good impression of what the baby’s face looks like. An ultrasound can also help determine if a woman has miscarried and can diagnose a ruined novum, as well as maternal health problems such as a damaged placenta. It’s a really useful technology.
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