The Multiple Values of Diagnostic Ultrasound Scanning

Diagnostic ultrasound is a scan used to demonstrate internal body structures. It works by emitting high-frequency sound waves, directed at the tissue being examined, and recording the reflected sound or in professional terms, echoes to produce an analytic 2-, 3- or 4-dimensional image.

The diagnostic ultrasound scan is non-invasive and some of the standard reasons for ultrasound scanning include investigations of the abdominal and pelvic organs, musculoskeletal and vascular systems and to check fetal development during pregnancy.

The diagnostic ultrasound scan emits high-frequency sound waves, directed at the internal body part being examined. The reflected sounds (echoes) are recorded to generate an image that can be viewed on a monitor. The sound waves are emitted and received from a small, hand-held diagnostic ultrasound part probe. As the high frequency sound cannot be detected by the human ear, it is called ultrasound.

In general, a diagnostic ultrasound scan is a non-invasive procedure. However, some diagnostic ultrasound scans are done with a special probe that is inserted into the vagina (for special obstetric or pelvic examinations), the rectum (for special prostate examinations) or the esophagus (for to examine the heart). In addition, diagnostic ultrasound scanning may be used to monitor and guide invasive procedures, including breast or thyroid biopsy procedures.

There are many uses for diagnostic ultrasound including:

• Abdominal diagnostic ultrasound scan – may be used to investigate abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, abnormal sounds and lumps. Structures that may be examined include the gallbladder, bile ducts, liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and large blood vessels. Structures that contain air (such as the stomach and bowels) can’t be examined easily by diagnostic ultrasound, because air prevents the transfer of sound waves produced by the scanner.
• Pelvic scan – may be performed if a woman is suffering pelvic pain or has abnormal periods, fibroids, cysts or other conditions associated with the female reproductive system.
• Pregnancy scan – used to check for fetal abnormalities (including growth abnormalities, Downs Syndrom or diseases such as spina bifida), check the age and position of the fetus, and monitor fetal growth and development. A diagnostic ultrasound scan during pregnancy is now considered routine in most parts of the world.
• Other uses of diagnostic ultrasound scan – musculoskeletal scans (to check regions like shoulder, hip and elbow), breast scans (for example, to further investigate an abnormality picked up by physical examination or mammogram) and a scan of the eye (to check its internal structures). A special type of diagnostic ultrasound scan, called a ‘Doppler ultrasound’, is sometimes used to detect the speed and direction of blood flow in certain regions of the body, including neck arteries and leg veins.

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Uses for Ultrasound Elastography

Ultrasound elastography is based on the comparison of ultrasound images, when the tissue is forcefully compressed. The principle behind ultrasound elastography is to characterize the soft biological tissues using the latest ultrasound technology to obtain a sequence of images which are processed for the ultrasound elastography.

In the first step, motion estimation between two or more images is processed. The estimated displacement offers the possibility of obtaining detailed bend elastograms (images of tissue strain). A tumor or a suspicious cancerous growth is normally 5-28 times stiffer than the background of normal soft tissue. When a mechanical compression or vibration is applied, the tumor deforms less than the surrounding tissue. Therefore, the presence of a hard inclusion simulating a tumor of pathological tissue, within a phantom mimicking soft tissue, can be more easily identified which likely leads to an earlier cancer diagnosis. Elastograms have been shown to be affected by the degree of adherence of the tumor to its surroundings, indicating a potential to broaden elastography usage to tumor mobility characterization to improve diagnostic accuracy and surgical guidance.

Ultrasonic imaging is the most common medical imaging technique for producing elastograms. Investigations have been conducted using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and computed tomography. Nevertheless, ultrasound elastography has the advantages of being cheaper, faster and more portable than other imaging techniques.

Ultrasound elastography has become an efficient and easy-to-perform component of the breast ultrasound examination as tissue stiffness determinations of various types have been included in a number of high-resolution linear transducers.


Ultrasound elastography imaging performed during breast ultrasound is extremely helpful in evaluating breast lesions and selecting patients who need a biopsy, according to current research. It is non-invasive, it is quick and there is no radiation involved. Ultrasound elastography helps distinguish between cancerous and benign breast lesions, which reduce unnecessary biopsies. The technique involves pressing on the breast with an ultrasound probe to measure the firmness or resistance of the underlying tissue. Diagnostic ultrasound elastography can be performed at the same time as hand-held ultrasound and images can be viewed on a split screen, with the two-dimensional ultrasound image on the left and the ultrasound elastography image on the right. A cancerous area will be stiffer than the surrounding tissue, as determined by the ultrasound elastography. Using ultrasound elastography helps reduce unnecessary biopsies, as well as catching early cancers that may not have been otherwise detected.

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MedWOW currently represents more than 3, 300 complete diagnostic ultrasound systems in inventory, as well as nearly 9,000 parts and accessories. These ultrasound units, when paired with simple add-on elastography units, can provide medical facilities with an excellent diagnostic tool. It is also possible to post a buying request on MedWOW’s to search for a new or used dedicated ultrasound elastography unit.

What are Ultrasound Probes Used For?

The ultrasound transducer, also known as an ultrasound probe, is the key element or the central focus in any ultrasound system. The transducer probe is what is responsible for making the sound waves and receiving the echoes. If you can picture the ultrasound machine as representing a human being: the ultrasound probe is the mouth and the ears. The transducer probe generates and receives sound waves using a principle called the piezoelectric (pressure electricity) effect, which was discovered by Pierre and Jacques Curie in 1880. In the ultrasound probe, there are one or more quartz crystals ─ called piezoelectric crystals. In ultrasound equipment, a piezoelectric ultrasound transducer converts electrical energy into extremely rapid mechanical vibrations—so fast, in fact, that it makes sounds, but ones too high-pitched for our ears to hear.

The ultrasound probe is generally placed directly on the patient's body and moved over the area to be viewed. Since water is a good conductor for sound waves, a water-based gel is usually placed on the patient's skin to help facilitate movement of the ultrasound waves. For example, patients undergoing obstetric ultrasound are usually asked to arrive for the test with a full bladder.

The ultrasound probe also has a sound-absorbing substance to eliminate reverse reflections from the probe itself, and an acoustic lens to help focus the sound waves that are produced. Ultrasound probes come in many shapes and sizes, and the shape of the ultrasound transducer determines its field of view, and the frequency of sound waves that are produced determines how deep the sound waves penetrate, as well as the resolution of the image.

Ultrasound probes may contain one or more crystal elements. For example, in multiple-element ultrasound probes, each crystal has its own circuit. Multiple-element ultrasound transducers have the advantage that the ultrasound beam can be directed simply by changing the timing in which each element gets pulsed. The quartz crystals in the ultrasound probe change shape and emit ultrasonic waves when they are stimulated with an electrical current. These sound waves bounce back from the body and hit the quartz crystals, which then produce an electrical current that the probe sends to the computer. Variations in the current help the computer "see" shapes and masses inside the body. “Steering” the beam is especially important for cardiac ultrasound.

In addition to ultrasound probes that can be moved across the surface of the body, some ultrasound probes are designed to be inserted through a variety of openings of the body (vagina, rectum, esophagus) so that they can get closer to the organ being examined (uterus, prostate gland, stomach). Getting closer to the organ allows for more detailed views, for more precision diagnoses.

While the most universal use of ultrasound transducers is still visualizing the growing fetus in a pregnancy, there are other medical applications, as well. Ultrasound probes can be used to examine the heart, thyroid gland and blood flow in veins and arteries. In cancer patients, ultrasound transducers may be used to diagnose the disease or to guide biopsies or other procedures. The use of diagnostic ultrasound probes is considered safe, with no known undesirable effects.