This section of the website provides useful information about ultrasounds.
Ultrasound Instructions
Learn how to prepare for your next ultrasound.
Types of Ultrasounds
Ultrasounds are for more than just pregnancy. Learn more about it here.
What is an Abdominal Ultrasound?
An ultrasound is a safe painless way to visualize the organs of your body. The images are acquired by utilizing sound waves.
An Ultrasound is sometimes called a Sonogram.
A small handheld device called a transducer(probe) covered in gel is pressed to your skin at the location of interest to obtain the images. The transducer sends sound waves into your body, collects sound waves that bounce back and sends them to a computer, which creates the images.
The most known Ultrasound is the Ultrasound for pregnancy confirmation but there are many types of Sonograms.
Other Ultrasound scans such as the Cardiac Ultrasound and Vascular Ultrasound have been widespread since the 1970’s.
Why is it done?
Ultrasound is used for a variety of reasons, including to:
View the uterus and ovaries of a pregnant woman
Assess her fetus
Diagnose gallbladder disease
Evaluate flow in blood vessels
Guide a needle for biopsy or tumor treatment
Evaluate a breast lump
Check a thyroid gland
Diagnose some cancers
Reveal genital and prostate abnormalities