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Ultrasound
Medical Author:
Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Medical Editor:
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
- Introduction
- What is an ultrasound?
- What is ultrasonography?
- For what purposes are ultrasounds used?
- Diagnostic uses
- Screening uses
- Therapeutic uses
- What are the risks of ultrasound?
- How do patients prepare for an ultrasound?
- How are the results of ultrasound interpreted and communicated to the physician?
- Related ultrasound article:
Ultrasound - on eMedicineHealth - Patient Discussions: Ultrasound - Diagnosis
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Introduction
While the patient's history and physical examination are the building blocks of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides that ability to medical practitioners.
What is an ultrasound?
Ultrasound produces sound waves that are beamed into the body causing return echoes that are recorded to "visualize" structures beneath the skin. The ability to measure different echoes reflected from a variety of tissues allows a shadow picture to be constructed. The technology is especially accurate at seeing the interface between solid and fluid filled spaces. These are actually the same principles that allow SONAR on boats to see the bottom of the ocean.
Next: What is ultrasonography?
Patient Discussions
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Ultrasound - Diagnosis
Question: What type of ultrasound did you have and what was the diagnosis?
http://www.medicinenet.com/ultrasound/article.htm
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