Diagnostic Tests

Types of Ultrasounds

Abdominal Ultrasound: An abdominal ultrasound is a useful way of examining internal organs, including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys and bladder. Because these images are captured in real time, they can show movement of internal tissues and organs and enable physicians to see blood flow. This can help to diagnose a variety of conditions and to assess damage caused by illness.

Breast Ultrasound: This ultrasound test uses sound waves to see how well blood is flowing to areas in your breasts. This test is often used when a change has been seen on a mammogram, or when a change is felt, but does not show up on a mammogram. This ultrasound may be used if you have particularly dense breast tissue that a mammogram may not be able to see through the tissue. It may also be used if you are pregnant because mammography uses radiation, whereas ultrasound does not. Your healthcare provider may also use ultrasound to look at nearby lymph nodes, help guide a needle during a biopsy, or to remove fluid from a cyst.

Obstetric Ultrasound: Obstetric ultrasound refers to the specialized use of sound waves to visualize and determine the condition of a pregnant woman and her embryo or fetus. Obstetric ultrasound should be performed only when clinically indicated, such as to:

• establish the presence of a living embryo/fetus
• estimate the age of the pregnancy
• diagnose congenital abnormalities
• evaluate the position of the fetus
• evaluate the position of the placenta
• determine if there are multiple pregnancies

Pelvic Ultrasound: For women, pelvic ultrasound is most often used to examine the uterus and ovaries, and during pregnancy, to monitor the health and development of the embryo or fetus. Millions of expectant parents have seen the first “picture” of their unborn child thanks to pelvic ultrasound examinations of the uterus and fetus.

For men, a pelvic ultrasound usually focuses on the bladder and the prostate gland.

There are three methods of performing pelvic ultrasound: abdominal (transabdominal), vaginal (transvaginal, endovaginal) in women, and rectal (transrectal) in men. The same principles of high-frequency sound apply in each technique.

Vascular (Carotid & Abdominal Aorta) Ultrasound: Ultrasound of the carotid arterial system provides a fast, non-invasive means of identifying blockages of blood flow in the neck arteries to the brain that might produce a stroke or mini-stroke. Ultrasound of the abdominal aorta is primarily used to evaluate for an aneurysm, which is an abnormal enlargement of the aorta usually from atherosclerotic disease.