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Medical sonograms or ultrasounds are often used during pregnancy, but there is a wide range of uses for ultrasounds that you may not be aware of. Frisco Urgent Care uses their ultrasound machine for many different purposes to help diagnose your particular aliment.

An ultrasound is a radiological technique that uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of organs and other structures in your body. The sound waves travel through your body's tissues with a device called a transducer. The transducer is placed directly on your skin and the sound waves are then sent through your body, and are reflected by internal structures as "echoes." These echoes return to the transducer and are displayed on a viewing monitor. These echo images can be recorded on a plain film and recorded for further viewing.

Ultrasound machines utilize no radiation and studies have shown that there are no adverse side effects or harm to the human body.

Frisco Urgent Care makes use of their ultrasound machine for the detection of heart problems such as mitral valve prolapes, or aortic stenosis. Ultrasounds are frequently used to guide fluid withdrawal from lungs, chest or around the heart. Gallstones and kidney stones are also easily detected with ultrasound machines. Other diagnostic uses of an ultrasound are examining the spleen, kidneys, liver, and abscess in the abdomen or the pancreas. Using an ultrasound to check the thyroid gland in the neck also be beneficial.

Preparations for an ultrasound examination are minimal. Generally, if you are having one done for an internal organ, such as the gallbladder, patients are required to refrain from drinking and eating, with the exception of water, for six to eight hours prior to the examination. This is because food causes gallbladder contractions, minimizing the size, which would be visible during the ultrasound.

An ultrasound is generally performed by a technician and read by a radiologist or a physician. The technician may ask you questions while performing the ultrasound or might have to examine you in order to define more clearly what the problem may be. Regular X-rays could be ordered in conjunction with the ultrasound to further verify any abnormalities that may be detected.