Chadwick Medical Associates

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is like ordinary sound except it has a frequency (or pitch) higher than people can hear.

Ultrasound is sent into the body from a scanning instrument (called a transducer) placed on the patient's skin. The sound is reflected off structures inside the body and is analyzed by a computer to make a picture of these structures on a television screen. The moving pictures can be recorded on a film or videotape. Diagnostic ultrasound is often called sonography.

Diagnostic ultrasound has been in use since the 1950s. Given its known benefits and recognized efficacy for medical diagnosis, including use during all trimesters of human pregnancy, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine made the following comments on the clinical safety of diagnostic ultrasound:

"There are no confirmed adverse biological effects on patients or instrument operators caused by exposures from diagnostic ultrasound instruments. Although the possibility exists that such biological effects may be identified in the future, current data indicate that the benefits to patients of the prudent use of diagnostic ultrasound outweigh the risks, if any, that may be present."

There are many medical indications for using diagnostic ultrasound. Ultrasound can be used to examine many parts of the body, including the abdomen, breasts, female abdomen, prostate, scrotum, thyroid, parathyroid, and the vascular system. Most commonly, ultrasound is used during all three trimesters of pregnancy.

Chadwick Medical Associates is accredited by the American College of Radiology.