Ultrasound Gallstones

Ultrasound Machines & Ultrasound

Ultrasound machines used for medical diagnostics or therapies emit high-frequency, ultra sound waves toward a part of the body and can produce pictures of the inside of the subject without using harmful radiation the way x-rays do. Although ultrasound machines produce a small amount of ionizing radiation, ultrasound is still very safe for human beings because the radiation is a much lower amount than could cause damage to a person.

With their own easily obtainable ultrasound machines, doctors’ offices and clinics are able to examine various organs in the body on-site without having to send patients to the hospital or expensive medical imaging or ultrasound treatment centers. Compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), ultrasound machines are relatively inexpensive and portable.

What is Ultra Sound?

Ultra, or beyond the norm, when used to describe sound waves as in "ultrasound", is that which exceeds a frequency that a human ear can detect. Normally a human can hear approximately 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. Ultra sound, used for diagnostic imaging or therapy, can be employed to analyze or treat medical conditions. It applies cyclic sound pressure pulsed at a frequency higher than the human ear can detect, or 20,000 hertz, hence the name ultrasound.

Components of an Ultrasound Machine

Sonographers & Ultrasound Technicians Trained operators of ultrasound machines
Central Processing Unit (CPU) The ultrasound machine’s brain. The computer that contains the microprocessor, memory, amplifiers and power supplies for the microprocessor and transducer probe. The CPU sends electrical currents to the transducer, which in turn sends electrical pulses that bounce off of the target and return echoes. The CPU calculates the location of thousands of points of echo origins to produce an image for output such as a monitor, a printer, a network drive; or a disk.
Transducer Pulse Controls The transducer pulse controls can set and vary the frequency and duration of the ultra sound pulses. The transducer pulse controls also allow for scanning the mode of the machine. Electrical currents are applied to the piezoelectric (PZ) crystals in the transducer probe, as selected by the operator.
Display The display turns processed data from the CPU into an image. Images have typically been black-and-white, but newer ultrasound machines can produce color images.
Keyboard/Cursor Ultrasound machines have a keyboard and a cursor. The keyboard allows the operator to add notes and to take measurements of the image; the mouse enables the operator to interact with the ultrasound machines software.
Disk Storage The processed data and/or images can be stored. Storage can include hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), or a network drive. Most of the time, ultrasound machines store data with the patient’s medical records.
Ultrasound Printers Most ultrasound machines have thermal printers connected to them. Ultrasound images are in motion, but a still can be captured at any point in time to send the image to the printer.

Ultrasound Uses

Ultra sound machines can be used on many subjects, typically to infiltrate them and evaluate the reflection signature, or to supply concentrated energy. The ultra sound reflection signature can detail the inside structure of the medium. The most well known application of ultrasound machines is for images of fetuses. While many people relate this applied science with obstetrics, there are many other applications for ultrasound technology.

Identifying and diagnosing many an ailment before an effective treatment using ultrasound imaging has steeply declined our death rate from a variety of diseases and conditions. Medical diagnosis, which is crucial in disease treatment, has been a chief cause in this overall improvement of health outcomes. Ultrasound machines gave a huge boost to medical diagnosis. Ultrasound machines can visualize problems in a patients’ organs and other tissues by bouncing ultra sound waves off of them and using a computer to plot the many points and render them on the monitor or print onto thermal paper.

Diagnostic – Capture size, structure, and any pathological lesions; Scans routinely conducted are cardiac, renal, liver and gallbladder (hepatic); Applications include musculo-skeletal imaging of muscles, ligaments and tendons, ophthalmic ultrasound (eye) scans and superficial structures such as testicle, thyroid, salivary glands, and lymph nodes. Ultrasound is also increasingly being used in trauma and first aid cases by the likes of EMT response teams. Vascular scans are possible with the use of Doppler to display blood flow.
Therapeutic – break kidney stones and gallstones; focused ultrasound surgery; acoustic targeted drug delivery; cataract treatment; stimulate tooth and bone growth; non-surgical treatment of varicose veins; Liposuction and lipectomy; bacterial cell killing; and acoustophoresis (contactless separation, concentration, and manipulation of microparticles and biological cells). Because of the real time nature of ultrasound, it is often used to guide interventional procedures such as fine needle aspiration FNA or biopsy of masses for cytology or histology testing in the breast, thyroid, liver, kidney, lymph nodes, muscles and joints.
Industrial
Cleaning – teeth and medical / dental instruments
Humidifiers
Echo Location & Range Finding
Chemistry
Weaponry

How Ultrasound Machines Work

Ultrasound machines have what is known as a transducer probe, which both emits and receives the ultrasound waves. Pulse controls are used to control the different wave properties of frequency, duration, and amplitude. Other components of the machines include a CPU, a mouse, a display, and a printer.

Sound waves coming from the ultrasound machine’s transducer, or probe, echo off of the target to help determine the size, shape, and depth of an abnormality. In a typical ultrasound, millions of pulses and echoes are sent and received from the probe each second. Ultrasound waves come from small vibrations or waves going through matter. Although ultra sound waves are sound waves, they are inaudible. This is because the frequency is too high for human beings to hear.

Ultrasound machines use ultra sound waves to image internal organs. These waves are emitted by the machine and bounce back when they collide with abnormal tissue or tumors, or at the boundaries between different tissue types. The machine times the reflections to calculate distances and generate images of the organs which show intensities.

Ultrasound machines provide the ability to view live images of our internal organs. By use of the controls provided, a radiologist can view the exact section of an internal organ. Portable machines are also available for emergency medical teams.

How an ultrasound is done?

In an ultrasound scan, a real-time scanner forms a continuous range of images of the subject on a screen. A transducer is used for releasing these waves. The recurring beams of the ultrasound scan the subject and go back to the transducer. The data obtained from the different reflections recomposes in the form of a picture on display screen.

Ultrasound imaging is a complex medical procedure that requires prior training due to the possible health risks. The high frequency waves generated during the process are potentially damaging to body tissue and nerves if exposure is too lengthy. As such, only professional doctors with experience in radiology can correctly regulate duration.

Is Ultrasound Safe?

Loudness is measured in decibles (dB) not frequency. The loudness at which medical ultra sound waves are applied is much quieter than 120dB. Ultra sound frequency is an inaudible 20,000 hertz. Yes, except:

Excess of 120 dB may lead to hearing loss.
Excess of 155 dB may harm the human body due to heat.
Exposures above 180 dB may lead to death.

When applied by trained ultrasound technicians or sonographers, ultrasound machines are generally safe with no known risks to patients because ultra sound does not use mutagenic ionizing radiation. If applied at length or at higher than diagnostic power, there are three effectts of ultrasonic energy: It enhances inflammation; it can heat soft tissue from molecular friction; and it may cause microscopic bubbles in living tissues and distortion of the cell membrane. This is not known to occur at diagnostic power levels used by modern diagnostic ultrasound machines.

Author: Steve Chard

Ultrasound machines by Biosound Esaote are well suited to diagnosing endocrinological and otolaryngological issues, and are offered exclusively in America by DrSmart.com, Smartsound Ultrasound.

Ultrasound machines use Ultra sound in a generally safe manner. What makes medical sonography safe is its high frequency and low loudness, lack of radiation, and skillful application by trained sonographers. When it comes to ultrasound, machines of this complexity are only to be used by trained ultrasound technicians or sonogram machine operators who are experts in medical ultrasound. Machines are very expensive and highly advanced.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Chard

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