Ultrasound
Ultrasound (or sonography) is an imaging process that uses reflected sound waves to create real-time images of a patient's soft tissues, including muscles, blood vessels and organs. Because sound waves are used, there is no radiation exposure during an ultrasound procedure.
Although this imaging procedure is most commonly used to examine the fetus during pregnancy, it is also an effective tool for monitoring blood flow using Doppler ultrasound technology. Ultrasound can be used to discover abnormalities in the body, and detect narrowed arteries, clotted veins, or growths such as tumors and cysts in the body's organs and tissues.
Technicians perform ultrasounds using a transducer wand to scan over the patient's body and a gel that acts as a conductor between the transducer and the skin. The sound waves translate through the transducer and create images that can be used for monitoring and diagnostic purposes.
Longview Regional Medical Center offers patients a variety of ultrasound imaging procedures, including:
- Obstetric and breast ultrasound exams
- Ultrasound-guided biopsies of the breast, kidney, liver and thyroid
- Paracentesis and thorocentesis