A USG, also known as ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique using ultrasound. It is used to create an image of internal body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, lood vessels, and internal organs.
Ultrasounds are primarily sound waves with frequencies which are higher than those audible to humans (>20,000 Hz). Probes are used to make ultrasonic images, also known as sonograms, by sending pulses of ultrasound into tissue. The ultrasound pulses echo off tissues with different reflection properties and are recorded and displayed as an image.
There are different types of ultrasounds. One type, called Doppler ultrasound, can show movement in your body. For example, it can show your heart beating and the speed and direction of blood flowing through your blood vessels. It can also show the beating heart and movement of an unborn baby. Another type of ultrasound can create 3-D (three-dimensional) images.
Other names: sonogram, ultrasonography, pregnancy sonography, fetal ultrasound, obstetric ultrasound, diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic medical ultrasound
Need of USG :
To diagnose an individual who has symptoms in certain tissues or organs. These include the heart, kidney and also the female reproductive system.
To conduct a biopsy, an ultrasound can act as a guide so as to confirm where the sample is to be taken from.
To evaluate abdominal pain and diagnose abdominal symptoms in children, such as injuries or appendicitis.
To conduct an echocardiogram to diagnose problems with the heart and to perform an echocardiogram of the fetus to check for heart defects
To gain additional information during pregnancy, such as the age of the developing fetus, the baby’s position and overall health. A prenatal ultrasound can also give the baby’s sex.
We use USG imaging to diagnose multiple diseases, lesions, causes of pain, to evaluate blood flow.
USG is important modality to assess fetal growth through various parameters as well as to assess fetal blood flow.
USG is also used for guiding tool for multiple interventional procedures.
Doctor puts probe on your body area which needs to be scanned and moves it in order to get internal organ’s images from multiple angles (sections). USG probe sends high frequency pulse and captures it’s echo, then USG machine process this data and creates images on machine’s screen.