Context:
Experts highlighted the importance of ultrasound for the early detection of fatty liver disease, noting that blood tests alone might not offer a prompt diagnosis.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
About Ultrasound Imaging:
- Overview:
- Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive test that utilizes high-frequency sound waves to generate real-time images or videos of internal organs and soft tissues, including blood vessels.
- This technique is also known as ultrasonography or sonography, and the resulting images are called sonograms.
- Unlike other imaging methods, ultrasound does not use radiation, making it a safer option for various applications.
- Applications:
- Ultrasound is widely used by healthcare providers for various purposes, including monitoring pregnancy, diagnosing medical conditions, and guiding certain medical procedures without the need for incisions.
- How It Works:
- During an ultrasound, a healthcare provider uses a device called a transducer or probe, which is moved over the patient’s skin or inserted into a body opening.
- A thin layer of gel is applied to the skin to help transmit the ultrasound waves from the transducer through the gel and into the body.
- The transducer converts electrical current into high-frequency sound waves that enter the body’s tissues.
- These sound waves bounce off internal structures and return to the transducer, which converts them back into electrical signals.
- The density of the object affects the amount of ultrasound that bounces back, with denser objects reflecting more waves.
- A computer processes these electrical signals to create real-time images or videos displayed on a screen.
- Limitations:
- Ultrasound waves do not travel well through air or bone, which limits its effectiveness in imaging body parts containing gas or hidden behind bone, such as the lungs or the head.
- Additionally, ultrasound may have difficulty visualizing objects located very deep within the body.
-Source: The Hindu
