Ultrasound

An Ultrasound is a wave with a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz, reaching and exceeding the upper limits of the human hearing capacity. These waves occur in nature amongst animals who communicate on ultrasonic frequencies, and are used in a number of industries, especially medicine where ultrasonography is used in the treatment and diagnostics of internal structures. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ultrasound

Ultrasound technology works similar to echolocation and sonar, in that sound waves are emitted and echo off of surrounding objects. The echoes are used to develop an accurate picture of the unseen area.

An individual may receive an ultrasound for a number of reasons, whether it be to examine or treat an internal structure. Ultrasonographers use a transducer probe attached to an ultrasound machine to develop an image of the structure being explored. This probe transmits waves at a frequency between 1 to 5 megahertz, that constantly pulse into the body. When the transducer probe is placed against a specific area of the body, the waves reflect off of tissues and internal organs, at varying depths.http://www.howstuffworks.com/ultrasound.htm The probe detects these reflected waves, and transmits the information back to the ultrasound machine. The machine calculates the distance between the probe and the structures, and the rate at which the waves reflect, and uses this information to generate a 2-dimensional image of the internal structures.http://www.howstuffworks.com/ultrasound.htm

Medicine

Clinically, ultrasounds are used primarily for the diagnostic imaging of structures of the internal body, especially in cardiology, oncolgoy, gynecology, and urology.

• Cardiology: A cardiologist may order an ultrasound to examine the structures of the heart, and check the integrity of blood vessels and blood flow.http://www.rjmatthewsmd.com/

• Oncolgoy: An oncologist may conduct an ultrasound to check an area for the possibility of a tumor, or to examine an existing mass.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2091445

• Gynecology: Gynecologists use ultrasounds in their practice to examine the internal feminine structures, including the cervix, uterus, and ovaries. Ultrasounds are also used throughout pregnancy to check the development and sex of a growing fetus, and to ensure that the pregnancy is posing no risk to either the mother or the child.http://emedicine.medscape.com/obstetrics_gynecology

Urology: Urologists check the flow of blood through the kidneys using ultrasounds, and check for any possible tumors or kidney stones in the area.http://www.urologyhealth.org/auafhome.asp

Food Industry Ultrasound technology is used in the food industry in the preparation and preservation of food products, these processes include:

• Accelerating fermentation
• Homogenizing
• Mixing
• Degassing
• Meat Processing
• Oxidation
• Inspectionhttp://www.hielscher.com/ultrasonics/food_01.htm