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Abdominal Sonography
What is Abdominal
Sonography?
Abdominal sonography
is a useful way of examining internal organs, such as the liver,
gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, spleen, and urinary bladder by
sending high-frequency sound waves into the body. The
reflected sound waves are returned as echoes which are then recorded
and displayed as a real-time visual image. Abdominal sonography is a
noninvasive imaging test that helps physicians diagnose and treat
medical conditions. An abdominal ultrasound documents the abdominal
organs and other structures in the upper abdomen.
What is an Abdominal
Sonogram?
An abdominal
sonogram can help to diagnose a variety of conditions and to assess
damage caused
by illness. Organs such as the liver, gallbladder, spleen,
pancreas, and kidneys will be evaluated during an abdominal sonogram. Patients
are referred for sonograms for various reasons, some of which are:
abdominal pain, abnormal lab results, and enlarged abdominal organs. An
abdominal sonographer will be required to image small body parts
as well. These parts include: thyroid gland, testicles, breast,
and various soft tissue body parts. Doctors can also use
abdominal sonography to guide them as they perform needle biopsies
on abdominal organs. The abdominal track is taught in conjunction
with Breast Sonography and the OB/GYN track at Montgomery College.
How are
Abdominal Ultrasound Images Obtained?
During abdominal sonography, a hand-held device called a
"transducer" is placed on the area being examined and moved around.
This transducer generates ultrasound and sends it through the body.
It also detects the returning echoes and transmits them as
electrical signals. Because one transducer continuously generates
many ultrasound waves while detecting echoes, a real time image can
be produced on a viewing monitor. These images can be recorded on
videotape, or images can be frozen and recorded on to film.
During abdominal sonography, lubricating gel is applied to the skin
so that the transducer can be moved around to produce real time
images. Ultrasound is similar to audible sound in that it can pass
through water and human organs easily, but it can't pass through air
or bone. So gel is applied between the transducer and the skin to
bridge the gap, and effectively send the ultrasound waves. Because
ultrasound images are real time images, blood flow, blood vessels,
bowel movement, and the movement of internal organs from breathing
can be seen.
Use of abdominal sonography
Abdominal sonography is safe, painless, easy, fast, and widely
available. One advantage using ultrasound to image the abdomen over
other imaging modalities is that there is no radiation. Real time
imaging ultrasonography can be used to guide invasive procedures
such as biopsy, and to visualize bowel movement and blood flow. In
case of an emergency, bedside sonography can be done without
particular patient preparations
Abdominal sonography is used to investigate the abdomen for a number
of reasons including; abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, to detect
causes of fever, serial follow up of known abnormalities in the
abdomen, such as gallstones, liver cirrhosis, cyst, benign tumor,
etc, to examine blood flow; to discover blockage and/or
atherosclerotic plaque, blood clot in the arteries, and veins of the
abdomen and to guide invasive procedures such as needle biopsy and
withdrawal of fluid
For more
information on earning potential and work environment of sonographers
visit the Inside Scoop.
Links:
The Society
of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS)
was founded in 1970 to promote, advance, and educate its
members and the medical community in the science of Diagnostic
Medical Sonography.
American
Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)
promotes quality care and patient safety through the certification
and continuing competency of ultrasound professionals
The
mission of the Joint
Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography(JRC-DMS)
and its sponsoring organizations is to cooperate to establish,
maintain, and promote appropriate standards of quality for
educational programs in diagnostic medical sonography and to
provide recognition for educational programs that meet or exceed
the standards.
Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs(CAAHEP)
is the largest programmatic/specialized accreditor in the health
sciences field. In collaboration with its Committees on Accreditation,
CAAHEP reviews and accredits more than 2000 educational programs
in twenty-one health science occupations across the United States
and Canada. Images:
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