Sonography, also known as ultrasonography, is a diagnostic imaging technique based on the ultrasound which is used for visualizing subcutaneous body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs. This safe and proven technology makes use of high frequency sound waves and specialized advanced medical ultrasound equipment. One example of (obstetric) sonography widely recognized by the public is the procedures commonly used for prenatal care during pregnancy.
Widely used in medicine, sonography is used to perform both diagnosis and therapeutic procedures. Sonography is one of several different medical imaging procedures that can help doctors diagnose an otherwise hidden medical condition. The medical professionals who perform these scans are known as sonographers, diagnostic medical sonographers, or simply as ultrasound technicians. The results are normally interpreted by radiologists, who specialize in the application and interpretation of medical imaging modalities, or sometimes by cardiologists in the case of cardiac ultrasonography.
Medical sonography is utilized in the study of many disparate systems. Some of the more common uses of sonography follow:
- Ultrasound is frequently used by anesthesiologists to guide injecting needles when administering local anesthetic solutions near nerves.
- Emergency Room personnel use point of care ultrasound in the Emergency Department, like the Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam for gauging injury following trauma. Ultrasound is consistently used in the Emergency Department to expedite the care of patients with possible gallstones or cholecystitis.
- As mentioned earlier, obstetrical sonography is frequently used during pregnancy to check on the development of the fetus.
- Dental hygienists sometimes use ultrasound to clean teeth.
- Diagnostic medical sonography is used to help identify possible causes for medical conditions.
Sonography rarely causes any discomfort to patients and has no known long-term side effects. It is relatively inexpensive compared to other modes of investigation, like computed X-ray tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasound technicians assist physicians and other medical professionals in numerous ways, sometimes specializing in areas like echocardiography (heart), ophthalmic sonography (eye), abdominal sonography (pancreas, kidney, spleen, and liver), neurosonography (brain) and obstetric and gynecologic sonography (the female reproductive system).
An ultrasound technician makes use of specific tools to divert high-frequency sound waves into a specific part of your body to produce an image of the body part which is typically displayed on a screen or videotaped or photographed for further evaluation and diagnosis. Not only will the sonography technician assist the doctors with evaluating the results but they will most likely explain to you what you’re looking at in language you can understand.
Now that you have a more complete understanding of what exactly sonography is and how it works, realize there is nothing to fear. Even though the terminology and the equipment may seem intimidating, there’s nothing to worry about. If your primary care physician recommends you get an ultrasound or some other application of diagnostic imaging, you’ll know that all the process entails is some sound waves and a highly trained diagnostic medical sonographer. With all of the medical benefits that sonography offers it is no wonder so many individuals decide to embark on an exciting medical career specializing in sonography every year.
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