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Medical Services
Diagnostic Imaging: Ultrasound
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Ultrasound
There’s no question that ultrasound plays an important role in healthcare. After x-ray exams, ultrasounds are the most utilized form of diagnostic imaging available today. Ultrasound is used for everything from taking a first peek at a developing baby in the womb to determining the risk of vascular disease. It enables a better diagnosis so your physician can plan the best course for your treatment.
By emitting high-frequency sound waves into the body, physicians can translate the echoes that bounce off body tissues and organs into visual images that provide valuable medical information. Vascular disease, stroke and abnormalities in the abdomen or reproductive system all exhibit telltale signs that ultrasound can help to detect. It can also be used to look for gallstones, liver damage, kidney dysfunction, stressed ligaments in the knee or other sports-related injuries.
At Sonora Regional Imaging Center, our imaging solutions provide visually informative exams for every clinical application and patient type. From routine imaging and volumetric imaging to breast imaging, our ultrasound system is designed to meet all of your clinical needs.
Ultrasound specialties include:
- Abdomenal
- Breast
- Cardiac
- Gynecological
- Intraoperative
- Musculoskeletal
- Obstetrical
- Pediatric
- Stress echo
- Testicular
- Thyroid
- Transesophogeal
- Transcranial
- Vascular
How to prepare for an ultrasound
If your exam will be performed on your chest area, do not use deodorant, perfume or lotion anywhere from the waist up on the day of your exam because such items can look like disease on the ultrasound.
You may be asked to have a full bladder prior to the examination.
After an aide escorts you from the general waiting area, you may be asked to remove your clothes and put on a robe or gown. You may be asked to remove your jewelry as well. There are secure lockers for you in the dressing room.
What happens during the exam?
The length of an ultrasound can vary. A general ultrasound for a new baby, for example, may last up to 30 minutes. Ultrasounds for more complicated pregnancies or multiple fetuses may last longer.
During that time, the physician or ultrasound technologist will apply gel to the skin in the area being examined. A transducer, which is a small hand-held device about the size of a bar of soap, will be placed firmly against the skin and swept back and forth to obtain images. The images are immediately visible on a nearby screen and will be interpreted by a radiologist.
The radiologist may also review the images at the time of the examination and ask for additional views.
You may be required to lie in one position until the technologist or radiologist is satisfied with the images.
What happens after the exam?
Following your exam, your physician will contact you to discuss the results.
If there are areas of concern that may require additional images, you will be notified either by phone or letter.
