An ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to safely produce images of the inside of the body without radiation. It can be used to examine fetuses during pregnancy as well as internal organs, vessels, and tissues. The document discusses what an ultrasound is, how it works, different types of probes and ultrasounds, how to prepare, and what it is used for both in pregnancy and diagnostic settings.

2. Dr. Sadak Mohamed Wehliye
MBBS, BN, MHM
CHAPTER ONE
Abdominal ultrasound
Ultrasound Obstetrics and Gynecology

3. What is an ultrasound?
• An ultrasound scan is a medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves to
capture live images from the inside of your body. It’s also known as sonography.
• The technology is similar to that used by sonar and radar, which help the military
detect planes and ships.
• An ultrasound allows your doctor to see problems with organs, vessels, and tissues
without needing to make an incision.
• Unlike other imaging techniques, ultrasound uses no radiation. For this reason, it’s
the preferred method for viewing a developing fetus during pregnancy.
• Unlike other imaging techniques, ultrasound uses no radiation. For this reason, it’s
the preferred method for viewing a developing fetus during pregnancy.

4. Advantages Disadvantages
• Portable
• No ionizing radiation
• Inexpensive
• Side-side comparison
• Patients love it!
• Guide procedures
• Operator dependent
• Limited penetration
through bone and air
• Imaging deep structures

5. categories of ultrasounds
• There are two main categories of ultrasounds: pregnancy
ultrasound and diagnostic ultrasound.
• Pregnancy ultrasound is used to look at an unborn baby. The test
can provide information about a baby’s growth, development, and
overall health.
• Diagnostic ultrasound is used to view and provide information about
other internal parts of the body. These include the heart, blood
vessels, liver, bladder, kidneys, and female reproductive organs.
• Other names: sonogram, ultrasonography, pregnancy sonography, fetal
ultrasound, obstetric ultrasound, diagnostic medical sonography, diagnostic
medical ultrasound

6. Why an ultrasound is performed
• Most people associate ultrasound scans with pregnancy. These scans can
provide an expectant mother with the first view of her unborn child. However,
the test has many other uses.
• Your doctor may order an ultrasound if you’re having pain, swelling, or other
symptoms that require an internal view of your organs. An ultrasound can
provide a view of the:
 bladder
 brain (in infants)
 gallbladder
 kidneys
 liver
 ovaries
pancreas
spleen
thyroid
testicles
uterus
blood vessels
• An ultrasound is also a helpful way to guide surgeons’ movements during
certain medical procedures, such as biopsies.

7. What is it used for?
• An ultrasound can be used in different ways, depending on
the type of ultrasound and which part of the body is being
checked.
• A pregnancy ultrasound is done to get information about the
health of an unborn baby. It may be used to:
Confirm that you are pregnant.
Check the size and position of the unborn baby.
Check to see you are pregnant with more than one baby.
Estimate how long you have been pregnant. This is known as gestational
age.
Check for signs of Down syndrome, which include thickening in the back of
the baby's neck.
Check for birth defects in the brain, spinal cord, heart, or other parts of the
body.
Check the amount of amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is a clear liquid that
surrounds an unborn baby during pregnancy. It protects the baby from
outside injury and cold. It also helps promote lung development and bone
growth.

8. Diagnostic ultrasound may be used to:
Find out if blood is flowing at a normal rate and level.
See if there is a problem with the structure of your heart.
Look for blockages in the gallbladder.
Check the thyroid gland for cancer or non-cancerous growths.
Check for abnormalities in the abdomen and kidneys.
Help guide a biopsy procedure. A biopsy is a procedure that
removes a small sample of tissue for testing.
In women, diagnostic ultrasound may be used to:
Look at a breast lump to see if it might be cancer. (The test may
also be used to check for breast cancer in men, though this type
of cancer is far more common in women.)
Help find the cause of pelvic pain.
Help find the cause of abnormal menstrual bleeding.
Help diagnose infertility or monitor infertility treatments.
• In men, diagnostic ultrasound may be used to help diagnose
disorders of the prostate gland.

9. Why do I need an ultrasound?
• You may need a ultrasound if you are pregnant.
There is no radiation used in the test. It offers a safe
way of checking the health of your unborn baby.
• You may need diagnostic ultrasound if you have
symptoms in certain organs or tissues. These include
the heart, kidneys, thyroid, gallbladder, and female
reproductive system.
• You may also need ultrasound if you are getting a
biopsy. The ultrasound helps your health care
provider get a clear image of the area that is being
tested.

10. What happens during an ultrasound?
A ultrasound usually includes the following steps:
You will lie on a table, exposing the area that’s being viewed.
A health care provider will spread a special gel on the skin over that
area.
The provider will move a wand-like device, called a transducer, over the
area.
The device sends sound waves into your body. The waves are so high
pitched that you can’t hear them.
The waves are recorded and turned into images on a monitor.
You may be able to view the images as they are being made. This often
happens during a pregnancy ultrasound, allowing you to look at your
unborn baby.
After the test is over, the provider will wipe the gel off your body.
The test takes about 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
In some cases, a pregnancy ultrasound may be done by inserting the
transducer into the vagina. This is most often done early in
pregnancy.

11. Elements of ultrasound anatomy
Components of an ultrasound machine
• Major Parts of an Ultrasound Machine and Workflow An ultrasound
scanner consists of a number of components including
 a transducer probe
 a monitor
 disk storage devices
 a printer and so on.
 a keyboard with control knobs
 a central processing unit (CPU)

12. Transducer
• This probe both produces the sound waves used in
ultrasound and receives their echoes back. It does
so by taking advantage of a scientific phenomenon
called the piezoelectric effect, also known as the
pressure electricity effect. First discovered in 1880
by Pierre and Jacques Curie

13. Ultrasound Gel
• The ultrasound technician applies a mineral-oil-
based ultrasound gel to the patient’s skin before doing
an ultrasound scan.
• Ultrasonic waves do not travel well through air, and
the gel allows sound waves to be transmitted from the
probe through the gel directly to the patient’s skin.

14. types of probe
• here are three basic types of probe used in
emergency and critical care point-of-care
ultrasound:
Linear
Curvilinear
Phased array
• Both curvilinear and phased array probes
generate sector or "pie-shaped" images, narrower
in the near field and wider in the far field, while
linear probes typically generate rectangular images
on the screen.

15. Linear probe
• Linear (also sometimes called vascular) probes are
generally high frequency, better for imaging
superficial structures and vessels, and are also often
called a vascular probe.

16. Curvilinear probes
• Curvilinear probes may have a wider footprint and
lower frequency for transabdominal imaging, or in a
tighter array (wider field of view) and higher
frequency for endocavitary imaging.

17. phased array probe
• A phased array probe generates an image from
an electronically steered beam in a close array,
generating an image that comes from a point and is
good for getting between ribs such as in cardiac
ultrasound.

18. How to work ultrasound
• In ultrasound, the following events happen:
1. The ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency (1 to 5 megahertz)
sound pulses into your body using a probe.
2. The sound waves travel into your body and hit a boundary between
tissues (e.g. between fluid and soft tissue, soft tissue and bone).
3. Some of the sound waves get reflected back to the probe, while some
travel on further until they reach another boundary and get reflected.
4. The reflected waves are picked up by the probe and relayed to the
machine.
5. The machine calculates the distance from the probe to the tissue or
organ (boundaries) using the speed of sound in tissue (5,005 ft/s
or1,540 m/s) and the time of the each echo's return (usually on the
order of millionths of a second).
6. The machine displays the distances and intensities of the echoes on
the screen, forming a two dimensional image like the one shown
below.
In a typical ultrasound, millions of pulses and echoes are sent and received each
second. The probe can be moved along the surface of the body and angled to
obtain various views.

19. How to prepare for an ultrasound
• The steps you will take to prepare for an ultrasound will
depend on the area or organ that is being examined.
• Your doctor may tell you to fast for eight to 12 hours before
your ultrasound, especially if your abdomen is being
examined. Undigested food can block the sound waves,
making it difficult for the technician to get a clear picture.
• For an examination of the gallbladder, liver, pancreas, or
spleen, you may be told to eat a fat-free meal the evening
before your test and then to fast until the procedure.
However, you can continue to drink water and take any
medications as instructed. For other examinations, you may
be asked to drink a lot of water and to hold your urine so that
your bladder is full and better visualized.

20. • Be sure to tell your doctor about any prescription
drugs, over-the-counter medications, or herbal
supplements that you take before the exam.
• It’s important to follow your doctor’s instructions
and ask any questions you may have before the
procedure.
• An ultrasound carries minimal risks. Unlike X-rays
or CT scans, ultrasounds use no radiation. For
this reason, they are the preferred method for
examining a developing fetus during pregnancy.