Ultrasound (Print Version)

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Ultrasound

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ultrasound.html

Also called: Also called: Sonogram

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to look at organs and structures inside the body. Health care professionals use them to view the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver and other organs. During pregnancy, doctors use ultrasound tests to examine the fetus. Unlike x-rays, ultrasound does not involve exposure to radiation.

During an ultrasound test, a special technician or doctor moves a device called a transducer over part of your body. The transducer sends out sound waves, which bounce off the tissues inside your body. The transducer also captures the waves that bounce back. Images are created from these sound waves.

Start Here

Ultrasound(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ultrasound/PR00053/METHOD=print
Ultrasound(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ultrasound/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ultrasoundspanish/htm/index.htm

Overviews

Taking a Close Look at Ultrasound(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/ultrasound032408.html
Ultrasound - General(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=genus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=genus
Ultrasound: Radiology in Motion(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/video/index.cfm?filename=us

Latest News

3-D Doppler Ultrasound Helps ID Breast Cancers(10/21/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70698.html
Simpler Test May Be Best for Diagnosing Blood Clots in Leg(10/07/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70165.html
Ultrasound Used to Predict Heart Attack Risk(08/19/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68318.html

Specific Conditions

Abdominal Ultrasound(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=abdominus&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=abdominus
About Your Exam - Doppler(American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine) - http://www.aium.org/patient/aboutExam/doppler.asp
Carotid Ultrasound(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cu/cu_whatis.html
Circulation Ultrasound(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3330
Duplex Ultrasound(Society for Vascular Surgery) - http://www.vascularweb.org/patients/NorthPoint/Duplex_Ultrasound.html
Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_whatis.html
Ultrasound - Musculoskeletal(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=musculous
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=musculous
Ultrasound - Pelvis(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=pelvus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=pelvus
Ultrasound - Vascular(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=vascularus&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=vascularus
Ultrasound - Venous (Extremities)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=venousus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=venousus&bhcp=1
Ultrasound of the Thyroid Gland(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=us-thyroid
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=us-thyroid
Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=breastbius
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=breastbius
Understanding EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasonography)(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=380
Also available in Spanish http://www.asge.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=3036
What Are the Types of Heart Ultrasound (Transthoracic Echo, Stress Echo, Transesophageal Echo)?(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3327

Related Issues

Avoid Fetal "Keepsake" Images, Heartbeat Monitors(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/keepsakevideo032408.html
Important Questions to Ask about the Quality of Your Imaging Examination(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/MainMenuCategories/PatientInfo/ImportantQuestions.aspx

Pictures & Photographs

Image Gallery(American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine) - http://www.aium.org/patient/imgGallery.asp

Tutorials

Echocardiogram(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiogram/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiogramspanish/htm/index.htm
Ultrasound(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ultrasound/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/ultrasoundspanish/htm/index.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Echocardiography(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Echocardiography%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Ultrasonography, Prenatal(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=ultrasound+%5BTREATMENT%5D+AND+prenatal+%5BALL-FIELDS%5D

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Serial 2-point ultrasonography plus D-dimer vs whole-leg color-coded Doppler ultrasonography... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18840838&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Intravascular ultrasound imaging as applied to the aorta: a new... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18805213&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Neonatal cranial ultrasound lesions and developmental delays at 2 years... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762501&tool=MedlinePlus
Ultrasound -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=ultrasonography[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Medical Encyclopedia

Ultrasound - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=Ultrasound

Dictionaries/Glossaries

RadiologyInfo: Glossary of Terms(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/glossary/glossary1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/glossary/glossary1.cfm

Directories

American College of Radiology Accredited Facility Search(American College of Radiology) - http://www.acr.org/accreditation/AccreditedFacilitySearch.aspx

Organizations

RadiologyInfo(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/

Children

Pediatric Abdominal Ultrasound Imaging(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=abdomus-pdi
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=abdomus-pdi
Pediatric and Fetal Ultrasound(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3329
Pediatric Pelvic Ultrasound(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/ultrasonography/hic_pelvic_ultrasound_pediatrics.aspx
Ultrasound - Hip(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1669/mainpageS1669P0.html

Men

Ultrasound Imaging of the Scrotum(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=us-scrotal
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=us-scrotal
Ultrasound of the Prostate(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=us-prostate
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=us-prostate

Women

Fetal Ultrasound: What Can It Tell You?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/fetal-ultrasound/PR00054/METHOD=print
Hysterosonography(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=hysterosono
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=hysterosono&bhcp=1
Ultrasound - Obstetric(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=obstetricus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=obstetricus

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Diagnostic Imaging - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnosticimaging.html
Prenatal Testing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prenataltesting.html
Diagnostic Tests - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnostictests.html

Ultrasound - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/ultrasound.html

Date last updated: October 27 2008

Topic last reviewed: October 02 2008