This is used in almost every medical discipline. Organs are assessed for size, location, demarcation to adjacent structures, and tissue. Tumors, accumulations of air or fluid, injuries, bleeding or blood stasis, stones, calcifications, cysts, and abscesses are detected. The most important areas of use are listed below, but sonography is also indispensable in other fields such as ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and neonatal medicine.
- Abdominal cavity: abdominal sonography is an irreplaceable method for many questions in the abdominal and pelvic cavity. Whether liver, kidney; pancreas, gall bladder or vessels – almost everything can be assessed. In addition, blood tests, tissue samples or other imaging procedures may be necessary. To prevent the intestinal gas from overlaying organs and tissues, the patient should be fasting and is given deflating medication before the examination. The examination of the entire abdomen takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Thyroid: Sonography is an important part of thyroid diagnostics, for example, in cases of suspected cancer, inflammation or dysfunction and can be performed without special preparations. Usually laboratory and functional tests are added.
- Gynecology: also in gynecology, ultrasound examination is indispensable. The female pelvic organs are examined in case of conspicuous findings of palpation, lower abdominal pain, menstrual disorders, follow-up for tumor diseases, pregnancy monitoring and therapy for infertility. This can be done through the abdominal skin – preferably with a full bladder – or through the vagina – preferably with an empty bladder. In addition, the ultrasound examination of the female breast complementary to the palpation and mammography also has a high value.
- Joints and soft tissues: Orthopedists appreciate ultrasound diagnostics. Although bones can hardly be assessed, joint structures, bursae, tendon sheaths and muscles all the better. Effusions, inflammations, cysts, dislocations or muscle tears – the trained examiner is presented with a wide range of possible findings. For small joints, one reverts to the first attempts with ultrasound: the hand or foot are placed in a water bath for examination, since the numerous protrusions and depressions can not be sufficiently straightened with gel.
- Heart: Sonography (echocardiography) also fulfills an important function in cardiology v.a. in addition to the ECG. It provides information on the structure, size, shape and function of the heart and vessels. Whether to clarify suspected inflammation, valvular defects, muscle or vascular changes, or to check the new heart valve after a transplant – the sound is usually sent inside the body via the chest wall (transthoracic). Less frequently, the transducer is inserted into the esophagus via a probe (transesophageal) and placed next to the heart, as in gastrointestinal endoscopy. This may be necessary, for example, in severely overweight patients or patients with emphysema. Doppler procedures (see below) and other cardiac examinations are performed as needed.
