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DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUNDS
With transparent pricing and over 30 years of experience, we offer a spa-like setting for your diagnostic ultrasounds.
An order from your provider is required to book an appointment for a diagnostic ultrasound and a radiologist report is included in the cost of the study that will be sent to your ordering provider. While our radiologist is highly trained to interpret your imaging study, your provider is best suited to fully diagnose and plan your treatment.
What is an ultrasound?
Ultrasound (also called sonography or a sonogram) uses sound waves and a machine to create images of internal organs and blood vessels. It has a variety of applications for almost all the organs in your body. Ultrasound can be used to detect abnormalities in the different tissues of your body as well as evaluate fetal anatomy and growth during pregnancy. An ultrasound gel is placed on the the area being examined to allow for smooth movement and to eliminate air between the skin and the camera, also known as a transducer. The transducer sends out ultrasound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. The waves move through the body to the organs and structures within. The sound waves bounce off the organs like an echo and return to the transducer. The transducer then processes the reflected waves, which are then converted by a computer into an image of the organs or tissues being examined. The sound waves travel at different speeds depending on the type of tissue encountered - fastest through bone and slowest through air. The speed at which the sound waves are returned to the transducer, as well as how much of the sound wave returns, is translated by the transducer as different types of tissues. Another type of ultrasound is doppler ultrasound, sometimes called a duplex study, is used to show the presence of blood flow as well as the speed and direction of blood flow through structures of the body. Unlike a standard ultrasound, some sound waves during a doppler study are audible. Ultrasound may be safely used during pregnancy o in the presence of allergies to contrast dye, because no radiation or contrast dyes are used.
When is it used?
Ultrasound has a wide range of applications in the body, from head to toe! It helps clinicians assess the organs and blood vesels in the abdomen (liver, kidneys, spleen, gallbladder, bile ducts, aorta, pancreas, and more!). It also evaluates organs in the pelvis such as the uterus, ovaries, bladder, and prostate. Most obstetricians perform a routine diagnostic ultrasound to assess accurate dating of an early pregnancy as well as evaluate the growing fetus and maternal anatomy. Th breast, thyroid bland, and scrotum are well evaluated with ultrasound, as are soft tissue masses anywhere on the body. Ultrasound is also very useful in study both arteries and veins throughout the neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities.
Examples of ultrasound study types & purpose
Doppler ultrasound: to visualize blood flow through a vessel. Abdominal ultrasound: to evaluate the gallbladder, liver, and other abdominal organs. Thyroid ultrasound: to evaluate and monitor nodules. Fetal ultrasound: to view and measure the growing fetus in pregnancy. And many more!
What happens during an ultrasound test?
A water-based gel is applied to the skin over the area to be examined to block any air between the skin and transducer, the eliminate friction on the skin, and provide the best quality images. The technologist will then place the transducer over the area to be examined in several different ways to image the body. Different transducers are used to image different parts of the body.
What are the benefits and risks?
There is no ionizing radiation exposure with an ultrasound. Ultrasounds are painless and have the highest safety use in all of radiologic imaging. However, we still practice prudent use of the ultrasound and specific modes of imaging, especially for diagnostic obstetrical sonography.