Ultrasounds are most often used to view organs and structures deep within the body. For example, ultrasounds can diagnose health issues like gallstones or kidney stones. They may also be performed if there are pregnancy or fertility problems. Ultrasound machines use sound waves that bounce off tissues to create images on monitors for your doctor to examine. This blog post will enlighten you about why you might need an ultrasound.
Detect blood vessel problems with ultrasound
Ultrasound is used to check the heart and blood vessels leading up to it, such as the carotid artery near your neck or iliac arteries in your backside. These ultrasounds will allow doctors to see if there is plaque buildup on the walls of these structures that could cause stroke or heart attack.
Pregnancy or infertility issues
Ultrasounds are used to determine if a woman is pregnant or not. They can also be performed during pregnancy to check on the fetus and track its development over time. Ultrasounds may also be used to diagnose fertility issues in a couple trying to conceive or more complex problems like ovarian cysts that can interfere with pregnancy and reproduction.
Detect health conditions deep inside the body
Ultrasound allows doctors to see organs deeper inside the body, like the gallbladder and kidneys. They may also be performed to diagnose organ problems hard for doctors to visit with other imaging techniques. Ultrasounds can provide images of soft tissues when X-rays cannot, so they are often used when a patient has an injury where bones might still show up.
Detect injuries and conditions in soft tissues
Ultrasound machines are one of the best imaging tools available today when a patient has an injury where bones might not appear on X-rays. Ultrasounds provide images of soft tissue so they can be used to see an injury in a patient’s muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Children and adults unwilling to cooperate for other imaging tests
Ultrasounds can be performed quickly and easily on many patients, including newborns and infants. Many children do not like to remain still long enough for an X-ray or CT scan, so ultrasounds may be a better option when you need pictures of their bones vs. soft tissue conditions.