What Is Ultrasound Used For?

Ultrasound—also known as sonography or ultrasonography—is a noninvasive imaging test that generates real-time pictures through the emission of high-intensity sound waves. Most people associate ultrasounds with pregnancy, with the joyful moment in which parents get the first glimpse at their baby. While ultrasounds are indeed used to monitor a fetus’ health for the duration of a pregnancy, their role in medicine is much broader.

Types of Ultrasound

Besides being used during pregnancies, ultrasound is also employed to diagnose, examine organs without having to perform surgery, and help guide treatments and procedures. Ultrasound types include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Pregnancy/prenatal ultrasound, which is used to monitor the health and growth of the baby.
• Diagnostic ultrasound, which helps doctors detect any potential illnesses or issues.
• 3D ultrasound, which creates three-dimensional images instead of the traditional ultrasound’s two-dimensional ones.
• 4D ultrasound, which shows 3D images in motion.

Pregnancy Ultrasound

A prenatal ultrasound is a routine scan to track a baby’s health and growth during the pregnancy. Doctors also use this kind of ultrasound to estimate the due date, assess fetal health, evaluate the placenta issues, determine if there is more than one fetus, and to estimate the baby’s size. Prenatal ultrasounds can also assess the sex of the baby if parents wish to know in advance.

Diagnostic Ultrasound

Healthcare providers use diagnostic ultrasound to diagnose a wide array of conditions that affect organs and soft tissue and to find out what might be causing unexplained symptoms and abnormal blood tests. However, ultrasounds have some diagnostic limitations as the sound waves utilized to generate the imaging do not transmit well through dense bones and areas that hold gas. Some examples of diagnostic ultrasound scans are:

• Abdominal ultrasound, which focuses on the abdomen’s organs, such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen.
• Kidney/renal ultrasound, which examines the kidneys, bladder and ureters.
• Doppler ultrasound, which shows the blood flow through your heart and blood vessels.
• Pelvic ultrasound, which generates images of the organs in the lower abdomen and pelvis.

Our Ultrasound Services

Access MRI has been providing high-quality imaging services for over 15 years. We pride ourselves on our state-of-the-art equipment, competitive prices, and our knowledgeable and reliable team members. We aim to put you—the patient—first. For more information regarding our ultrasound services click here.

We provide the following types of ultrasound examinations: