The ultrasound machine In Medical
The ultrasound machine can allow healthcare staff an extra visual dimension inside a living body, helping in both the diagnosis and understanding of a patient’s condition. The machine can provide images helping healthcare workers to visualize muscles and internal organs, their size, structures and possible pathologies. In some cases ultrasound can be used to guide certain medical procedures, thanks to the clear visual images provided.
The most common use of ultrasound is to evaluate the progress of the fetus during pregnancy. Ultrasound also is used to determine if a lump is a cyst, to look at the size and shape of abdominal and pelvic organs, to detect gallstones, and to look for blood clots in the legs. Ultrasound can be used as a guide when a needle is being inserted into the body to take a sample of tissue for a biopsy or to take a fluid sample as is done in amniocentesis, a test to detect abnormalities in the fetus.
How you prepare for an ultrasound depends on the area of the body being scanned. For example, if your abdomen is being scanned, you may need to restrict what you eat and drink before the procedure. If your pelvis is being scanned, you may have to drink several glasses of water beforehand so that your bladder is full, which provides better ultrasound images. For all ultrasound procedures, you will be asked to remove all jewelry from the area of your body that will be scanned.
Since a simple ultrasound scan is painless and apparently risk-free, you should not have side effects or complications after the procedure. However, if ultrasound was used to guide a needle biopsy, call your doctor if you have abnormal bleeding, pain, redness or swelling at the biopsy site. Ask your doctor if there are any other specific signs or symptoms to watch for.