Ultrasonography
¿¡hat procedures are performed in the ultrasound service?
The ultrasound service of the Laboratorio Clínico Hematológico has an ultrasound scanner with a high resolution transducer of 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz, which allows obtaining high quality images of structures, tissues and organs of the body, which can provide valuable information for the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases or conditions.
Some ultrasounds have specific requirements for their performance, such as fasting or drinking water until the bladder is full, and their duration will depend on the part of the body being analyzed. Find out the requirements of the ultrasound scans listed by clicking on each one:
- Ultrasound of thyroid and parathyroid glands
- Salivary gland ultrasound
- Ultrasound for mapping of cervical lymph nodes
- Ultrasound of soft tissues of the neck
- Total abdominal ultrasound: liver, pancreas, gallbladder, biliary tract, kidneys, spleen, great vessels, pelvis and flanks
- Upper abdominal ultrasound: liver, pancreas, biliary tract, kidneys, spleen and great vessels
- Ultrasound of liver, pancreas, biliary tract and gallbladder
- Transabdominal ultrasound of urinary tract, kidneys, bladder and prostate
- Diagnostic breast ultrasound with 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz transducer
- Transvaginal pelvic gynecologic ultrasound
- Transabdominal pelvic gynecologic ultrasound
- Transabdominal prostate ultrasound
- Transrectal prostate ultrasound scanning
- Doppler ultrasound of neck vessels
- Doppler ultrasound of abdominal aorta
- Doppler ultrasound, evaluation of blood flow and portal hypertension
- Doppler ultrasound of renal arteries
- Doppler ultrasound of upper limb veins
- Doppler ultrasound of upper limb arteries
- Shoulder joint ultrasound
- Knee joint ultrasound
- Hip joint ultrasound
- Ultrasound of soft tissues upper extremities with 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz transducer
- Soft tissue ultrasound of the lower extremities with 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz transducer
- Soft tissue ultrasound of abdominal wall
- Testicular ultrasound with a 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz transducer
- Testicular ultrasound with Doppler analysis
- Transfontanelar brain ultrasound with 7.5 MHz to 12.0 MHz transducer
¿How does an ultrasound work?
A device called a transducer, which is attached to the ultrasound machine, produces sound waves that bounce off the structures of the body and form echoes. These are received back by the transducer and sent to a computer, which uses them to create images (ultrasound). The image can be immediately displayed on the ultrasound monitor or on a TV screen.
During the procedure, the physician spreads a gel on the skin over the part of the body to be examined to eliminate air pockets between the transducer and the skin to produce better images. He then moves the device in various directions to allow him to visualize all the organs and tissues of interest.
In most cases the transducer is used outside the body, but some cases require the transducer to be placed inside the body (e.g. transrectal ultrasound to visualize the prostate, transvaginal ultrasound to visualize the uterus and ovaries).
Because sound waves resonate differently when they bounce off abnormal tissue and healthy tissue it is possible to make a diagnosis.
¿What are ultrasound scans used for?
Ultrasound can be used to find tumors and locate their exact location in an organ or tissue (e.g. breasts), evaluate blood flow in veins and arteries, assess joint inflammation, detect abnormalities in the abdomen and kidneys, examine the thyroid gland or guide needles in medical procedures such as biopsies, among others.
