Ultrasound
Sometimes called sonography, ultrasounds bounce high-frequency sound waves off the body to produce a real-time picture of the internal structures including organ formation, movement and blood flow. Ultrasound is generally a painless, non-invasive way to diagnose a variety of diseases and conditions without the use of radiation, making this a widely used procedure during pregnancy.
During an ultrasound, you are positioned on an examination table and warm, clear gel is applied to the body part that will be examined. A transducer that produces sound waves is placed firmly on the skin and moved back and forth. The sound waves produced by the transducer flow freely through the gel and bounce back to the transducer. As the sound waves echo back to the transducer, it records the strength and character of the reflected waves to create images of the organs. The examination usually takes less than 30 minutes. A Doppler ultrasound study may be part of an ultrasound examination, also called color Doppler ultrasonography. It's a special ultrasound technique that allows the physician to see and evaluate blood flow through arteries and veins in the abdomen, arms, legs, neck and/or brain (in infants and children) or within various body organs such as the liver or kidneys.
A physician's order is required to perform an ultrasound scan. Here is a list of exams that can be performed at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center:
- General ultrasound
- Infant (hips, head and spine)
- Abdomen and obstetric
- Carotid and vascular
- Venous (extremities)
- Pelvis
- Scrotum
- Thyroid
- Percutaneous abscess drainage
- Paracentesis and thoracentesis
- All biopsies including breast
To schedule an appointment, please call Mat-Su Regional Medical Center at (907) 861-6677