One of the most lasting images throughout the course of a pregnancy is the image of the fetus while in the womb, visible in a sonogram. Dialogs have been articulated and delivered, movie scenes created and written, characters explored, and other unimaginable things done all based on this sonogram that gives the first and most anticipated peep of the greatest miracle in the world today life.
A sonogram is a creation of the ultrasound, a process that has very high frequency sound waves which are far and beyond sound waves of human hearing. Even though the limit significantly varies from one individual to another, 20,000 hertz can be seen as the limit beyond which the HFS can qualify to be classified as ultrasound. In addition to the famous and most common application of ultrasound in diagnostic sonography for obstetrics and pregnancy, ultrasonography can also be applicable on other occasions such as:
Scientific
- To cause or stir a chemical difference in a process known as cavitation i.e. the generation of vapor bubbles of a liquid that is flowing in an area where the liquid pressure drops beneath its vapor pressure, a process known as sonochemistry
- To accurately measure the distance of something for purposes of surveying, accurately aiming a given weapon, and helping determine focus in photography, a process known as SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging)
- To generate tiny light bursts through a process known as sonoluminescence, which is being explored for its possible application in the chemical process of bubble fusion
- To measure the flow of fluids in fluid mechanics
Industrial
- To produce heat through friction for use in the welding of plastics
- To measure the thickness of products and objects and find flaws in different materials through non-invasive testing
- To facilitate heat transfer in liquids thus enhance the production of ethanol
- To enhance the health of animals and the production ability by determining intramuscular fats in cattle, fat in the eye area and generally the fat thickness
- To make items such as jewelry, watches, surgical instruments, dental instruments, industrial parts and diving regulators pure
- Tiny emitters attached to items help transmit ultrasound signals which are then detected by acoustic sensors.
Medical
- To stimulate the growth of bone
- Cleaning teeth during dental treatments
- To enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics in eradicating bacteria
- Cataract surgery (phacoemulsification), a process where the internal lens of the human eye is blended with an ultrasonic hand-piece and then aspirated out of the eye
- To aid in liposuction (process of body fat dismissal)
- To stir the blood-brain barrier to make drug delivery effective
- Breaking down gallstones and kidney stones into tiny fragments to make it easy for them to be flushed out of the body
There you have it, the next time you see the ultrasonic image of a fetus, know that the same technology surrounds you and in a way it enhances the quality of your life.
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