Liver problems: an ultrasound may be done to detect liver problems such as fatty liver disease, fibrosis or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver). Infections: Some types of ultrasound can contribute towards diagnosing infection. The test will also help them determine if a thyroid nodule needs a biopsy. Thyroid conditions: ultrasound scans may be used to detect thyroid issues such as growths or abnormal activity. Fibroids, cysts and other conditions associated with the female reproductive system can all be detected with an ultrasound. Uterine fibroids: if you are suffering from pelvic pain or abnormal periods, an ultrasound can be used to find the source of the problem. Cardiovascular issues: ultrasounds can detect a variety of cardiovascular problems, such as narrowed blood vessels, blockages, heart defects and heart disease. 
They can determine the composition of a lump and help your doctor distinguish between a tumour and a cyst so that they can make a diagnosis.
Cysts: an ultrasound can also pick up cysts. They can detect denser areas of tissue in certain body parts (such as the ones we’ve mentioned above), which may be tumours. Cancer: ultrasounds can contribute to the detection of some types of cancer, such as liver cancer or testicular cancer. Ultrasounds can be used to detect and diagnose a range of different health conditions, such as: Ultrasounds don’t work on every part of the body sound waves don’t transmit well through air or dense bone, so they aren’t effective at imaging body parts that hold gas (such as the bowel) or are hidden by bone (such as the head). Here are some of the different locations and parts of the body that an ultrasound can be performed on:Īn ultrasound can pick up all of the above organs and body parts, and therefore be used to diagnose a wide variety of issues or conditions in these areas. Ultrasounds are a multifunctional tool used to diagnose a number of conditions, spanning across a range of locations throughout the body. This allows your doctor or a medical specialist to take a closer look at organs, tissues and body vessels to identify any conditions or abnormalities - all without needing to make an incision. The high-frequency sound waves that an ultrasound scan uses pass through fluids and soft tissues in the body and bounce back off denser tissues. This is why we use this type of scan to monitor an unborn baby during pregnancy. Unlike other imaging techniques such as X-rays or CT scans, ultrasounds don’t use any radiation and are very low-risk. Usually, a specially trained ultrasound technician (called a sonographer) will carry out your scan, but the image and results will be interpreted by your doctor or a radiologist It’s a similar technology to that used by sonar and radar, which we use to detect objects like planes in the sky or ships out to sea. These echoes are then picked back up by the probe and used to form a picture on a monitor. 
You can’t hear these sound waves because they are too high-pitched, but when they bounce off different parts of the body they create an ‘echo’ in the same way bats and dolphins use echolocation to hunt and move in pitch darkness.
Ultrasound scans use a small device called an ultrasound probe to give off high-frequency sound waves. What is an ultrasound and how does it work?Īn ultrasound scan - also known as a sonogram - is a medical test that uses sound waves to create a live image of part of the inside of the body. If you’re thinking about getting an ultrasound as a part of a preventative healthcare screening or as part of one of our health assessment packages, you may want some more information on how they work and why they are important. Many people who hear the word ‘ultrasound’ will probably associate them with pregnancy scans, but this particular type of test can be used for much more than that.Īt Echelon Health, we use ultrasounds to detect a range of different health issues.
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