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Ultrasound Imaging : An Ultrasound Machine

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The photo on the right shows a medical technician using an ultrasound machine to diagnose appendicitis to a patient, without the use of x-rays. The ultrasound imaging technique involves using high frequency sound waves and their echoes. The machine transmits high-frequency sound pulses into the patient’s body using a probe. In the image, the technician presses and moves the probe along the patient’s body. This photo was taken in the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
A wave is a traveling disturbance that carries energy from one place to another. Ultrasound-imaging machines use waves to produce real time images of patients’ organs and tissues to complement diagnosis. The frequency of a wave refers to the number of waves passing a point at a certain time. An ultrasound is a type of wave that has a frequency exceeding the upper limit of human hearing (greater than 20,000 hertz). However, diagnostic ultrasound machines usually use frequencies in the order of 1-10 million hertz. The frequency of waves is very important, as it is very specific when using these instruments. It is imperative to consider that the speed of sound depends on the specific properties of a medium. Therefore, these concepts must be taken into consideration when manufacturing and getting prepared to use such instruments. The wavelength is the distance between two identical peaks in the wave cycle. It is one of the main factors that affect the resolution of an ultrasound image. As the wavelength of a wave

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