Ultrasounds Against Radiation

Ultrasound imaging has many uses in medicine, from confirming and dating a pregnancy to diagnosing certain conditions and guiding doctors through precise medical procedures

Radiology, the process of working and viewing inside the human body without breaking the skin. By using radiant energy, which may take the form of x rays or other types of radiation, we are able to diagnose and treat many diseases and injuries. Both diagnostic and therapeutic radiology involve

During a pregnancy, many expecting mothers will travel to the doctor to have a check up with how the pregnancy is doing. Many mothers will get done a special procedure that is called an ultrasound. An ultrasound is a procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to scan a woman’s abdomen and pelvic cavity, creating a picture (sonogram) of the baby and the placenta.(2-1) Ultrasounds may be performed at any point during a pregnancy, and the results are seen immediately on a monitor during the procedure.(2-2) The ultrasound doesn’t hurt the mother or the fetus. There are many situations where ultrasounds can be used. Some doctors will use an ultrasound to look at someone’s abdomen, especially if there is stomach pains and nausea present. One

Also, x rays are capable of detecting many other issues such as cancerous masses or pneumonia as well as even dental problems all of which, again, can and have saved many lives [4]. For comparison, 400 million people are subject to x rays annually, which save substantially more lives than those of which were killed in japan [5]. Radiation can also be applied, not only to see but also to save patients in that it can be used, since it damages tissues, to kill things like tumors and other potential dangerous or life threatening masses within your body. Ironically enough it kills what it causes and for purpose of numbers, women with breast cancer had a survival rate of 25.1% in 1944 that more than tripled to 76.5% in the years 1995-2004 [6]. Also, now, 67% of women receive radiation treatment after having been diagnosed and the number is increasing [6]. But, beyond the medical field there are also economical advances that are largely caused by the use of nuclear power. These include the implementation of nuclear power plants that provide the cleanest and quickest way of generating electricity [7]. Also, to again throw numbers into the equation, fossil fuels are being consumed faster than they can be produced and the fuel for nuclear reactors, Uranium-235, is only worth 20%,

Ultrasound technicians make more money than a Radiology Technician even though they are very similar in the job requirements. The median salary per hour is 28 dollars and 67 cents(“Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Salary” 1). Ultrasound detects a woman's ovulation and it can diagnose a pregnancy(Lewis 2). Sonography is harmless and it when you use a small probe and special ultrasound gel that is applied to the skin(Radiological Society of North America and American College Of Radiology 1). Common uses of,”Ultrasound is a useful way of examining many of the body’s internal organs”(Radiological Society of North America and American College Of Radiology 1). The main issue of sonography is remaining emotionless while performing the ultrasound because

Moving larger within basketball's game is one thing that many players execute on consistently. It only would seem sensible when-you're trying to score on the ten-foot holder the better the more odds can bounce you have of getting a larger participant and carrying out more concerns around the courtroom.

Ultrasounds are performed when medically necessary. According to the article, Prenatal Diagnosis of Microcephaly, ultrasound during pregnancy, “has not been associated with adverse maternal, fetal, or neonatal outcomes”. It continues to say that, “ultrasound is safe for the fetus when used appropriately”. This is a safe tool that gives the doctors a better idea of what is wrong with a patient without performing unnecessary surgery. Ultrasounds have been a key instrument in aiding the diagnosis of medical conditions for many years and continues to become more efficient and accurate in time. Although ultrasounds can be used for many reasons all throughout the body, the main

Although ultrasound QA guidelines exist for over 35 years, the implementation of QA has been inconsistent.25 One of the reasons for that may be a general opinion that formal QA in ultrasound is unnecessary because it is based on non-ionizing radiation. For imaging modalities where ionizing radiation is used, as mammography, QA is obligatory. The other reasons could be the lack of medical physicists and medical physics departments in hospitals and sonographers workload which limits the access to equipment. Although there are no legislation

MRI is a noninvasive diagnostic examination with on ionizing radiation & no known associated negative side effects or reported delayed sequels. The American College of Radiology white paper on MR safety states that pregnant patients can be accepted to undergo MR images at any stage of pregnancy if the risk-benefit ratio to the patient warrants that the study be performed and only if other non-ionizing diagnostic imaging methods are inadequate.

There are several prenatal screenings being performed today. The one that seems to be the most famous is an ultrasound scan; this form of testing allows the doctor and the mother to see the baby organs, how well it is growing and determine the sex of the baby. Another screen is the transvaginal ultrasound. And as uncomfortable as it may be the doctor and mother are presented with clearer images of the baby. These form of ultrasound aren't only safe for the baby but for the other as well as no form of radiation is involved. The problem with the transvaginal ultrasound is, in order for the ultrasound to be carried out the tech have to cover the instrument with a covering that contains latex and could possibly cause an allergic reaction in those

While healthy babies are born every day, not everyone is so fortunate. In many cases, diagnostic radiology is required for patients during their childhood. Can having this radiation during the formative years lead to adverse effects later in life? The biggest concern from radiation is the risk of cancer. Cancer can occur at any dose from ionizing radiation because it is a stochastic effect, meaning that it is probabilistic. The probability of a stochastic effect, such as cancer, increases as the dose increases. While receiving this radiation may be necessary, it can cause some serious trouble later in life, such as breast cancer, leukemia, and thyroid cancer.

It uses ultrasonic waves, which is not radiation, and unlike with an x-ray or CT scan, there is no ionizing radiation exposure with this test. I interviewed Sharron Luckadoo for ultrasound and since there are many things you can diagnose with using ultrasound I asked, how many different types of ultrasound are there? Is there a limitation to how many types of ultrasounds you can preform or can you be qualified to do all of them? She answered by saying “there are many different types of ultrasound. Examples are: fetal ultrasound, abdomen, aorta, breast, pelvic, vascular structures, echos (image of the heart), thyroid, and many more”, and “No limitations. The more you know and have experience in the better ultrasound technician you are”. There are different scans too, so I asked what an ultrasound scan, doppler scan, and what transvaginal scans are, she said “An ultrasound scan is a painless test that uses sound waves to create images of organs and structures inside your body. It uses sound waves and not radiation” , “Doppler scans are used to visualize blood or fluids flowing through the body. The sound waves reflect off of moving objects like blood cells and measure their speed as they flow through the body” , “A transvaginal scan is where the ultrasound probe is actually inserted into the vagina. We use this to evaluate the uterus, ovaries, and pelvic area.

In the medical field, basic patient care is something that should be practiced every day. In hospitals and clinics around the United States, one will find groups of people who have undergone years of training and are there to hopefully provide the best patient care they can. Yet every day thousands of practitioners seem to have forgotten the basics of not only protecting patients but themselves as well. More specifically, in the field of radiology, it seems that one of the basics of patient and technologist protections, shielding, has become second place, and used in a manner that deviates from its intended purpose. After witnessing many misuses and even no use

Ultrasound or ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique that uses high frequency sound waves. It is a high pitch frequency that cannot be heard by the human ear. In ultra sound the following happens: High frequency sound pulses (1-5megahertz) are transmitted from the ultrasound machine into your body using a probe. The sound wave will travel into your body until it hits an object such as soft tissue and bone. When the sound wave hits these objects some of the wave will be reflected back to the probe. While some waves may carry on further till they hit another object and then reflected back. The probe picks up these reflected sound waves and relays them to the machine. The distance and time from the probe,

Education must be provided to mothers about the use of ultrasound in pregnancy. Parents should know that there have been many studies done to assess the safety of ultrasound in pregnancy. There has been no correlation between the use of ultrasound and ill effects on growth, or development in children exposed to ultrasound during pregnancy (Hale, 2009).