Ultrasound, commonly known as "ultrasound", is a type of sound wave. Due to its frequency being higher than the minimum sound that people can hear, it is called "ultrasound". Ultrasonic waves are widely used in daily life due to their high frequency, strong penetration, good guidance, and concentrated energy. In medicine, ultrasound can be used for crushing stones or thrombolysis, cleaning teeth stains, etc. But the most widely used method in medicine is using ultrasound for physical examination. Whether it is for patients seeking medical treatment or physical examination, ultrasound examination will be performed. The B-ultrasound and color ultrasound that we usually know belong to ultrasound examination. This article focuses on some popular science knowledge about ultrasound to help people better understand and comprehend it.
1. What is ultrasound examination? The main working principle of ultrasound examination is to use the physical properties of ultrasound, place the ultrasound emitting probe on the examination site of the human body, and then reflect the ultrasound when it encounters the examination organ. When reflected, it carries the information of the examination organ back to the electronic detection device, converts the carried information into electrical signals, and finally the examination organ image will appear on the display screen. Due to its simple and convenient operation, no need for external trauma, intuitive images, real-time dynamics, and low cost, ultrasound examination is highly welcomed by patients. The current types of ultrasound examinations are generally divided into A type, B type, D type, and M type. B type ultrasound examination is commonly referred to as B-ultrasound, while D type ultrasound examination is developed on the basis of B type, also known as color ultrasound. Both B-ultrasound and color ultrasound are two-dimensional imaging. With the continuous development of medical technology, color ultrasound imaging has now evolved to four-dimensional imaging, which can present a three-dimensional imaging effect on the examined organs. The basic application of ultrasound is currently widely used in the human body. The scope of ultrasound examination includes chest and abdominal ultrasound diagnosis, obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound diagnosis, cardiovascular disease ultrasound diagnosis, and superficial tissue ultrasound diagnosis.
2. Does ultrasound examination harm the human body? During ultrasound examination, ultrasound will penetrate through the skin tissue and enter the interior of the body, naturally causing changes in human function and structure. However, the degree of change is mainly determined by the intensity of ultrasound and the examination time. Generally, ultrasound examinations conducted in hospitals have low intensity and short time, and the harm to the human body can be basically ignored. The typical ultrasound examination time is 10-30 minutes, which allows doctors sufficient time for observation and pathological analysis. However, for ultrasound examination of infants and young children, attention should be paid to the intensity of the ultrasound, and the examination time should not exceed 5 minutes to prevent harm to infants and young children.
3. Precautions for Ultrasound Examination
As an examination method with a high detection rate for various diseases, patients should first pay attention to this examination before undergoing it, and then follow the precautions for ultrasound examination. The precautions for different examinations also vary. For example, those who undergo liver, gallbladder, pancreas, adrenal gland, para aortic, upper abdominal masses, abdominal blood vessels and other examinations should fast for more than 8 hours before the examination; It is not advisable to perform barium meal, gastroscopy, or colonoscopy on the day of abdominal organ ultrasound examination. Generally, ultrasound examination should be arranged first, or performed 3 days after X-ray gastrointestinal imaging and 2 days after biliary imaging; For those who undergo bladder, prostate, seminal vesicle, uterine adnexa, lower abdominal mass, and abdominal cryptorchidism examination through the abdomen, it is necessary to drink 500-800ml of water 2-3 hours before the examination to fill the bladder appropriately, and perform the examination when there is an urgent urge to urinate; Kidney, thyroid, breast, peripheral vascular, and cardiac examinations do not require special preparation, and the examination site should be fully exposed during the examination; People under 3 months of pregnancy need to hold their urine moderately; After 3 months of pregnancy, it is generally not necessary to hold urine. When pregnant women are suspected of having placenta previa, they need to hold urine to further understand the condition of the placenta. Therefore, patients should first understand their specific examination items before undergoing the examination, and then follow the relevant examination precautions.
4. Advantages of ultrasound application in clinical medicine
The biggest advantage of ultrasound examination is safety and radiation free. It is not like X-rays, which produce ionizing radiation in the human body and have a certain level of radioactivity, causing certain damage to the human body. In addition, ultrasound has other advantages, such as simple operation, painless examination process, affordability, and the ability to undergo repeated check ups. Nowadays, ultrasound examination has been widely used in physical examination, obstetrics, surgery, pediatrics, cardiology, etc. It can screen out many problems without any clinical symptoms, so as to detect and treat them early.
In summary, ultrasound, as a new and constantly evolving medical technology, has provided significant assistance for clinical treatment while advancing with the times. In the daily examination process, when facing ultrasound examination, we should not "talk about the color change of the examination". We should face the benefits brought by ultrasound examination, actively cooperate with the examination plan and treatment plan formulated by the doctor, and make ultrasound a good assistant to help us understand our own physical condition.