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application of physics principles in ultrasound
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Without the use of physics in the medical field today, diagnosis of problems would be challenging, to say the least. The world of medical imaging in particular has benefited greatly from the use of physics. Ultrasound is sound waves that have a frequency above human audible. (Ultrasound Physics and Instrument 111). With a shorter wavelength than audible sound, these waves can be directed into a narrow beam that is used in imaging soft tissues. As with audible sound waves, ultrasound waves must have a medium in which to travel and are subject to interference. In addition, much like light rays, they can be reflected, refracted, and focused. In general, ultrasound waves produced by an instrument called transducer are sent into a patient. Some of the waves are absorbed, but the other portion of these waves are reflected when tissue and organ boundaries are encountered. The echoes produced by the reflected waves are then picked up by the transducer and translated in a visible picture often referred to as ultrasound. In the paragraphs that follow, the physics of how the transducer functions, what the ultrasound waves do, and how the image is formed will be explained. A transducer is a mechanism that changes one form of energy to another form. A toaster is a transducer that turns electricity into heat; a loudspeaker is a transducer that changes electricity into sound. Likewise, an ultrasound transducer changes electricity voltage into ultrasound waves, and vice versa. This is possible because of the principle of piezoelectricity, which states that some materials (ceramics, quartz, and others) produce a voltage when deformed by an applied pressure. Conversely, piezoelectricity also results in production of a pressure whe... ... middle of paper ... ...-91) Ultrasonic images are produced by pulsed ultrasound beams and displayed by a system consisting of a beam former, transducer, signal processor, image processor, and display (Kremkau 354). In pulse echo imaging, the transducer converts the electric pulses given off by the beam former to an ultrasound beam. The transducer gives off several cycles of ultrasound beams and then waits to gather information from the echoes of those beams before giving off the next cycle of beams, this delay is necessary in order to escape misplacement of the returning echo on the screen (Kremkau 103). In summary, the medical imaging technology of ultrasound is founded on the world of physics. As we understand more and more about waves and how they functions, ultrasound imaging capabilities expand, allowing for the increasingly accurate diagnostic of medical problems.
Diagnostic medical sonography is a profession where sonographers direct high-frequency sound waves into a patient’s body through the use of specific equipment to diagnose or monitor a patient’s medical condition. As described by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this examination is referred to as an ultrasound, sonogram, or echocardiogram. The high-frequency sound waves emitted from the handheld device, called a transducer, bounce back creating an echo and therefore produce an image that can be viewed on the sonographers computer screen. This image provides the sonographer and physician with an internal image of the patient’s body that will be used in the diagnosis. The most familiar use of ultrasound is used in monitoring pregnancies and is provided by obstetric and gynecologic sonographers, who also provide imaging of the female reproductive system. Other types of sonography include; abdominal sonography, breast sonography, musculoskeletal sonography, neurosonography and cardiovascular sonography. Due to the vast nature of uses in sonography, most professionals study one field that they choose to specialize in. Diagnostic medical sonography is a rapidly growing field because of the increase in medical advances. The area of Cleveland, Ohio has continued to rise in the medical field with great strides, providing better career prospects with the availability of numerous employment positions.
Ultrasound Technicians are very valuable in the world of health care. Also known as Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, an Ultrasound Technician uses special machines and equipment that operates on sound waves to determine or diagnose medical problems for patients. There are specializations within this field in which some individuals explore. For instance, areas of specialization includes but not limited to; pregnancy, heart health, gynecology, and abdominal sonography. Although each specializing branch has its own distinctive function, they all involve probing the body to facilitate doctors with diagnoses.
A Diagnostics Medical Sonographer also known as an ultrasound expert, it is somebody who uses extraordinary imaging equipment that coordinates sound waves into a patient’s body which is normally known as a sonogram to finding various medical conditions. For instance, heart diseases, pregnancy and cancer (ExploreHealthCareers). A sonographer commonly uses high frequency sound waves to deliver images inside the human body.
Being able to identify lumps, swelling, tissue damage, cysts, and the overwhelming news of the sex of a baby all have something in common, an ultrasound. Swelling of the spleen, kidney stones, blood clots, aneurysms, cancer and so much more can be identified through the works of an ultrasound’s imaging technique. Ultrasound involves many concepts, procedures, and careers. The amount of medical possibilities involved with ultrasounds is useful in major medical diagnostics. The field of ultrasounds and career opportunities are widely growing. As medical careers flourish, needs for technicians in many fields of medicine are increasing. Instead of a doctor choosing complex and risky surgery to find out problems within the body, they can now choose a safer path; the ultrasound path. Patient’s history and physical evaluation are building blocks to diagnostics but ultrasounds are much greater. They are powerful tools used to see beyond the skin into the depths of a person’s body. What ultrasounds are, what types there are, and what they are used for, and the education and careers available are the major themes found in research on the subject. Knowledge of ultrasound and its background may help one decide what career is best for them. Understanding the wide array of diagnostic tests and their uses are essential to figuring out what a career as a sonographer entails and the type of education that is needed. Because there are plenty of possibilities for specializing with different technologies, there is a wide variety of job opportunities in the medical imaging career. The call for ultrasound’s assistance opens new paths in future high-quality careers.
waves were reflected back to the transducer as they crossed interfaces of different acoustic impedance. More simply, the ultrasound bounced off the
. As an aspiring radiation therapist, it is critical to be able to read an ultrasound image especially with respect to treatment planning. It is very important to be able to distinguish the features of a malignant tumour from surrounding normal tissues; to be able to look at an ultrasound image and immediately see the location of a malignant lesion is a lifelong skill. After specifically looking at the role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of cancer of the adrenal gland, one more readily realizes that ultrasound is in some respects invaluable, but in other respects usurped by modalities such as CT and MRI scans. Thus, one must be familiar with all of these different imaging modalities in order to be able to most effectively diagnose, plan and treat a cancer patient.
...etect cancer. One advantage for this is that ultrasound devices are able to detect the cancers before the symptoms start to show. This means that there is a more likely chance for the patient to be cured before it starts to spread in the process of meiosis (cell division). Another advantage of having ultrasound is using the Colour Doppler Ultrasound, which is an imaging technique that provides a visualization of what is happening in the body. It provides a coloured image that shows all the cancer cells that are spreading in the body, making it easier for the doctor to locate the place of the cancer spreading.
Sound is (a) the physical transmission of a disorder (energy) in a standard and the physiological response generally to pressure waves in air. However, the sound spectrum has much lower frequencies and is much simpler, with only three frequency regions; the infrasonic region (f<20Hz), the audible region (20Hz20 KHz), (Shipman-Wilson-Higgins, 2013). Depending on the volume of sound can be determined as a low or high frequencies.
Sound is defined as areas of high and low pressure that move outward to form a longitudinal wave. The amplitude and pitch of the sound is dependent on the source and amount of energy produced. Sound is produced by vibrating objects, the vibrations cause disturbances in the surrounding air molecules. When the vibrating object moves outward it causes the air molecules around it to compress and create a high pressure region. As the object moves inward the air molecules expand and create a low pressure region. The high pressure regions are called compressions and the low pressure regions rarefactions. The equation of sound waves is speed = wavelength x frequency or v = f x .
Understanding transducer theory as well as function is vital in performing clinical ultrasound tests on patients. A transducer can be defined as any device that converts one form of energy into another. Transducers are not just something used in the ultrasound world. There are many different kinds of transducers in the world. Some examples of transducers that we come in contact with in the real world are microphones, speakers, lasers etc. (Miele).
A sound wave is pressure variations in air. Sound waves move through air the same as a wave in water. A sound wave is caused by an objects vibrations that cause the air surrounding it to vibrate. When the air vibrates it, the ear drum picks up the vibrations and translates them to the brain. Then the brain interprets the translations (Owens). Sound is the vibration of matter. Sound cannot travel in a vacuum. Sound is a longitudinal wave. Rapid vibrations of the object create longitudinal or compression waves of sound (Kurtus).
Acoustics is a science that deals with the study of sound. It is known to be one of the branches of physics; studying oscillations and sound waves from the lowest to high frequencies. Acoustics is known to be one of the oldest sciences, and dates back to ancient times as people had the need to understand the nature of speech and hearing. The main reason acoustics was discovered and is one of the oldest sciences is because of the need for the knowledge of the sounds of music and musical instruments. Pythagoras, an ancient mathematician, was the first person to ever find out that tone height corresponds to the length of the sting or tube. While Aristotle, Pythagoras apprentice at the time, helped more to explain that an echo is created as the sound reflection from obstacles.
There is not many information on acoustic waves but it was interesting researching this topic. The little that I found was really cool and I’m glad I did this essay on such a topic. Acoustic waves are all around us and are important in science.
Could you imagine living in a world without sound? It would be enormously different from the world that we know. Our primary form of inter-human communication would be based on visual or tactile imagery. Our sense of perception would be changed. Telecommunication would be different. We would not have the pleasure of music or the soothing sounds of nature. Sound has had an immense impact on our world. This essay will explore the unseen world of sound waves and how humans perceive them.
Initially, my area of interest was directed towards diagnostic sonography, however, this area of study was not