It is especially useful for examining the breasts, bladder, thyroid, abdominal organs and male and female reproductive organs, and for obtaining images of the fetus in the womb.
An ultrasound is a noninvasive, simple procedure that can produce images of soft tissues, which often don’t show up well on X-rays. There is no ionizing radiation used during an ultrasound and there are no side effects of the procedure.
An ultrasound can be used to monitor and diagnose a wide range of conditions within nearly any system of the body. This test may be performed on patients experiencing pain, swelling or infection of unknown origin. The images produced by an ultrasound may help to:
- Assess a breast lump
- Diagnose problems with abdominal organs
- Diagnose certain infections or cancers
- Reveal abnormalities of the muscles
- Evaluate the heart
- Check for arterial blockages or aneurysms
- Assess the thyroid gland
- Guide a needle during a biopsy
- Check blood flow
- Obtain images of a fetus