Ultrasonography

What is an Ultrasonography?

Ultrasonography, also known as “ultrasound scanning” is a commonly used non-invasive medical diagnostic procedure. It utilizes high-frequency sound waves to create real-time images of the internal structures of the body, allowing doctors to visualize the anatomy and pathological changes of relevant organs and make clinical diagnoses accordingly.

Principle of Ultrasound Scanning Examination

Ultrasonographic examination is a non-invasive scanning procedure that does not involve radiation and is safe and painless. During the examination, medical staff will apply ultrasound gel to your skin and use an ultrasound probe for the scan. Ultrasound energy is transmitted into the body through the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound instrument collects the ultrasound energy reflected from the body and reconstructs real-time images of the body through computer analysis, assisting doctors in making clinical judgments.

Applications of Ultrasonography

Currently, ultrasonographic examination is widely used in almost all medical fields and disease diagnoses. For example, it can be used for diagnosing conditions such as fatty liver, kidney failure, gallstones, pancreatic and hepatic tumors, uterine fibroids, ovarian chocolate cysts, and heart valve regurgitation. It can also be used to monitor the progress of liver tumor treatment, assess cardiac muscle contraction in the heart, blood circulation in the lower limbs’ blood vessels, and examine fetal structures during pregnancy.

Ultrasonographic Technology

In addition to traditional two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound scanning, with the advancement of ultrasound technology, computer systems are now capable of reconstructing ultrasound images into three-dimensional (3D) images. This technology is applied in various aspects, such as assessing fetal structures, cardiac function and structure. Furthermore, Doppler ultrasound technology allows doctors to directly evaluate blood flow in blood vessels within different organs, contributing to various clinical diagnoses.

Interventional Ultrasonography

In addition to diagnostic imaging, ultrasonography is also used for guiding fine needle or core needle aspiration procedures. This allows doctors to extract relevant cells or tissues from lesions for pathological analysis, aiding in diagnosis. For instance, when dealing with clinically small or inconspicuous masses, doctors can use ultrasound for precise localization and guide fine or core needle aspiration, increasing the success rate and diagnostic opportunities for cell or tissue extraction while minimizing the risk of injuring surrounding organs.

超聲波掃瞄有没有局限性?

聲波能量會被空氣阻隔,因此不能夠應用於檢查胃、腸、肺或被腸道遮蓋的器官,例如胰臟。在這些情況下,CT或MRI 掃瞄是更理想的掃瞄方法。另外,超聲波亦難以穿透骨骼,所以針對骨骼或某些關節的內部結構,醫生一般會建議採用X光或MRI等其他掃瞄檢查。

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