Archive for the 'Ultrasound Technology' Category

Understanding the Working of Ultrasound in Physical Therapy

Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Care, Ultrasound Technology No Comments »

The use of ultrasound in physical therapy has proved to be very beneficial to a lot of people around the world and it is a very common choice of many physical therapists.

Ultrasound is applied directly on the skin of the patient using a wand that is round headed. You need to apply ultrasound gel on the surface where the physical therapy has to be done in order to reduce the friction on the skin due to ultrasonic waves. Generally, the frequency of the therapeutic ultrasound in physical therapy is in the range of around 0.8-1.0 MHz. The ultrasonic waves are generated due to the piezoelectric effect caused by the crystals which vibrate in the head of the ultrasound wand.

Ultrasound in physical therapy is brought about by a set of sound-waves which are produced in the ultrasound wand. These sound waves are then passed to the affected area through your skin causing vibration to the tissues. These vibrations produce heat to the effected area but the patient may not feel the heat. Apart from the likely heating effect that is produced by the ultrasound, there are some other known effects as well. The use of ultrasound in physical therapy helps in the relaxation of the tissues. They break down the tissues on the scar and generate blood flow to areas where it was previously blocked.

Ultrasound in physical therapy helps in reducing chronic inflammation and swelling by increasing the flow of blood in the affected area. According to some latest studies, it has been found that ultrasound helps in healing the fractured bone. The power density or the intensity of the ultrasound is adjustable. You can use the power density of the ultrasound as per the requirement for the healing purpose. If you need to break down the scar tissues, you’ll need a greater power density.

Phonophoresis can also be achieved using the ultrasound. The term Phonophoresis means using ultrasound to deliver the medicine into the body through the skin. The medicine is placed under the ultrasound gel are forced to go below the skin by the ultrasound waves. This kind of medication is unique and can be applied to patients who feel uneasiness with injections. Generally, it takes three minutes to five minutes for a technical ultrasound treatment. However, in the cases where the breakdown of scar tissues is treated then it may take more time. During the treatment, the ultrasound wand has to be in a constant motion depending on the comfort level of the patient.

If the ultrasound wand is placed in one place for more than few seconds, the sound energy will build up and this will make the patient uncomfortable. Some of the major conditions which can be treated using ultrasound include the muscles spasm, Peyronie’s Disease, scar tissues break down, tendonitis, non-acute joint swelling and many other treatments. However, ultrasound treatment is not permissible to treatments such as vascular abnormalities, metal implants below the treatment area and local acute infections. Also it cannot be applied on the pregnant woman’s abdomen directly. It is also not permissible to apply it on the skull, testis, eyes and the spinal cord area.

Click here for details on ultrasound program or diagnostic medical sonography program

Features and Characteristics of Pocket Sized Ultrasonic Device

Health Care, Ultrasound Technology No Comments »

Ultrasound as a concept is most commonly used in a nondestructive imaging notion in various medical applications. Sound waves which are actually not audible to human ears have the ability to generate images and impressions upon soft tissues in our body. Devices which make use of this ultrasonic concept have the tendency to relieve arthritis pressure and can also help in treating the brain cancer.

Ultrasonic devices are hand-held devices that are extensively used in the areas that include obstetrics, emergency care and cardiology. The primary advantages of this pocket sized ultra sonic device are its portability and the ease in usage without compromising on the features. The device is very small and handy for usage and it weighs not more than 750 grams.

Here are some of its features:
Brain treatment, converts water to steam, cuts down toxicity risks, emergency applications, helps during critical stages

The pocket sized ultrasonic devices have the potentials to relieve arthritis pressure and can even help to heal brain cancer by the action of pushing the drugs through your brain following the surgery.

Ultrasound waves created by using the pocket sized ultrasonic device also functions in converting the water into steam as quick as possible and it is done by submerging the transducer under the water which causes the water to bubble. This pocket sized ultrasonic device comes very handy in a lot of military and medical fields where critical surgeries and operations need to be done in very less time. This makes the technology versatile and very attractive to a lot of doctors. This ultrasonic technology can be used in military applications to heal the bleeding wounds in a very less time. This feature itself could turn out to be a live saving factor. It can also be used in dental machines. It also helps in enabling the body to absorb local anesthesia instantly.

The use of pocket sized ultrasonic devices in itself can be considered as a great revolution in the medical history. They largely help in providing specific amounts of hydrogen sulfide and thereby greatly helping in minimizing the risks and the toxic levels. These ultrasonic devices make use of innovative and emerging technologies to provide excellent advantage of healing of various diseases instantly.

Some of its emergency applications include
•    Focused abdominal sonography popularly known as FAST
•    Determination of cardiac activity
•    Pelvic exams and solutions
•    Detection of abdominal aneurysms

There fear of dangerous diseases like brain cancer, heart attacks etc have been considerably lowered with the advent of pocket sized ultrasonic devices.

Pocket sized ultrasonic devices helps very much during critical situations for the patient. It is a classical example of making full use of the technology to heal the patients and to heal the wounds instantly. This breakthrough vastly helps the patients, especially if they have problems related to cardiac stresses and heart attacks. The critical minutes involved in the treatments are significantly reduced with the use of ultrasound technology.

This type of flexibility and efficiency provided by these pocket sized ultrasonic devices helps save many lives in an efficient manner even under the critical situations. The usage of ultrasonic devices strongly reiterates the fact that life is very precious because it helps to heal people from multiple dangerous diseases very efficiently

Professional Societies for Ultrasonography And Radiology

Professional Societies, Radiology, Ultrasound Technology No Comments »

List of Professional Societies for Ultrasonography And Radiology

American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)

American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM)

American Board of Radiology (ABR)

American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP)

American College of Radiology (ACR/Private Practice/Council)

American College of Radiology — State and Affiliated Chapters

American Medical Association — Section Council on Radiology

Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR)

Association of University Radiologists (AUR)

European Congress of Radiology

Intersocietial Commisssion for the Accreditation of

Vascular Laboratories

International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)

Los Angeles Radiological Society

National Medical Association — Section on Radiology (NMA)

North American Society for Cardiac Imaging (NASCI)

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

Society for the Advancement of Women’s Imaging (SAWI)

Society for Gastrointestinal Radiologists (SGR)

Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR)

American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS)

American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

Health Professions Network (HPN)

Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL)

Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL)

Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS)

The American Institute of Ultrasound site

The Australian Sonographers Association

The site of the Society of Radiologist in Ultrasound

The British Medical Ultrasound Society

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Radiological Society of North America

Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU)

World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB)

Academy of Radiology Research (ARR)

American Association for Women Radiologists (AAWR)

American Radium Society (ARS)

American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Songraphers

American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)

American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO)

American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER)

American Society of Head and Neck Radiology (ASHNR)

American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR)

Fleischner Society (FS)

Society of Breast Imaging (SBI)

Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology (SCVIR)

Society for Computer Applications in Radiology (SCAR)

Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM)

Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU)

Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR)

Society of Uroradiology (SUR)

Ultrasound Practice Accreditation (ACR)

Ultrasound Practice Accreditation (AIUM)

American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS)

American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)

American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

American College of Radiology (ACR)

British Medical Ultrasound Society

Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH/FDA)

European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB)

Joint Review Cmte on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS)

The Origins of Ultrasound Technology

Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Ultrasound Technology No Comments »

Ultrasound technology has emerged as a prime tool for the diagnosis of conditions and diseases within the medical field. This technology allows medical professionals to view internal organs their size, and morphology for the purpose of diagnostic imaging of the human body, including obstetrics. If you are an aspiring sonographer or have interest in the diagnostic medical sonography, the advancements of Ultrasound technology will definitely be of interest.

In the world of physics, the word “ultrasound” refers to sound waves that are at a frequency above the rage of waves which are audible (typically above 20,000 hertz or 20 kilohertz). Modern day ultrasound systems perform at a frequency range of 2 to 18 megahertz, which is far beyond the limit of human hearing. Ultrasound systems use a probe, or transducer which influences the sound waves which travel through the desired area of the body. The waves are then reflected as the image of the desired area or organ. The exploration and research of high frequency sound waves began as early as the late 1790s with the study of bats.

There are two scientists who conducted important research on ultrasound imaging. Dr. Karl Theodore from Austria published his paper based on “medical ultrasonic” in the year of 1942. Another person who developed the functions and practical procedure of Ultrasound was Professor Ian Donald; his research was conducted in 1950 and paved the path to towards advancing the methodology and technology.

There are hundreds of medical universities and healthcare programs that emphasize the education of ultrasound technology. As time progresses, technological advancements within the field of diagnostic imaging are actively being made. Ultrasound technology is widely used in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of organs, veins, and systems within the human body.

Get the diagnostic medical sonography program or ultrasound technology program

Utilizing Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Medical Conditions

Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Health Care, Ultrasound Technology No Comments »

The use of sonograms has increased over a period of time and will continue to do so, as ultrasound technology has allowed doctors to study almost any part of the human body. With state of art ultrasound machines, the exposure to ionizing radiation has been zeroed and has assisted in first hand diagnosis, thus helping prevent many deadly diseases.

Sonograms are used for detecting and evaluating medical conditions of:

Neck and Infant Head:
* Evaluation and detection of stroke risk
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of thyroid tumors and nodules.

Ophthalmology:
* Evaluation and detection of tumors, including retinal melanomas and retinal detachment
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of foreign bodies within the vitreous humor

Gynecology:
* Detection, measurement, and monitoring of uterine cysts, polyps, or fibromas
* Detection, measurement, and localization of ovarian and endometrial tumors
* Detection and measurement of fallopian tube abnormalities

Breast:
* Detection and measurement of tumors in dense breasts
* Monitoring and measurement of breast tumors during therapy
* Detection and measurement of skin tumor infiltration

Prostate:
*Detection, and measurement of prostate tumors, including adenofibromas, neoplasms, and papillomas
* Detection and measurement of tumors during therapy

Gastrointestinal:
* Evaluation, detection, and measurement of aortic aneurysms
* Evaluation and detection of fistulas, appendicitis and Crohn’s disease
* Evaluation and detection of abnormalities in the spleen, liver and gallbladder

Musculoskeletal:
* Evaluation and detection of tendonitis