Why Does a Doctor Request an Ultrasound?

Published - October 30, 2024

Are you interested in becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer? Wonder why a doctor would request an ultrasound for a patient? Well, you have come to the right place. This article reviews what an ultrasound is and why doctors use ultrasounds to diagnosis and treat patients. So, what is an ultrasound?

What is an Ultrasound?

An ultrasound is a noninvasive view of the body’s internal structure. The ultrasound creates pictures and video of the soft tissues inside the body. It transmits high-frequency sound wave that bounce off of the patient’s internal structures, relaying the sound waves back to the ultrasound machine through the transducer. The sonographer starts by applying gel to the skin to reduce friction and then presses down the transducer gently over the patient’s skin.

The sound waves are converted into an image. This helps doctors see the soft tissue inside the patient’s body. Sonographers can image any structure inside the body, from internal organs to a pregnant mother’s fetus.

Why Does a Doctor Request an Ultrasound?

Without cutting into the body of a patient, the doctor can’t see into the body to make diagnosis and treatment decisions. So, they can either perform surgery, use an X-ray machine or use an ultrasound. Since an ultrasound doesn’t use X-rays, no harmful radiation is produced. This makes the ultrasound one of the safest imaging options.

Doctors order ultrasounds to help diagnose and treat patients. Ultrasounds are used during surgery to provide internal images and make surgery quick and safe. Additional uses of an ultrasound include in vitro fertilization, nerve blocker administration, and placement of medical devices.

What Does an Ultrasound Help Doctors Diagnose?

In addition to showing a new mother their fetus, an ultrasound can also be used to diagnose and treat many conditions. Some of the Diagnoses that a doctor uses an ultrasound for include:

Monitor the Health of a Fetus

The initial use of an ultrasound is to confirm that a woman is pregnant. Next is what most people associate with the ultrasound, pictures of a fetus. The ultrasound can help the doctor identify if there are any abnormalities, the gender of the baby and other important diseases that they may be susceptible to.

Osteoporosis

Another use of ultrasounds is to identify if a patient has osteoporosis, or bone deterioration. As we get older, our bones become brittle and are susceptible to cracks. The doctor will use ultrasounds on older adults to identify osteoporosis. If the ultrasound detects osteoporosis, the doctor will recommend that the patient increase the consumption of calcium to help safeguard the bones.

Kidney Disease

Kidneys filter the body’s blood. Unfortunately, the kidneys can develop issues as we age or if we have conditions like Diabetes. In addition to kidney disease, an ultrasound can help diagnose kidney stones, kidney infections, kidney tumors, kidney abscesses and hydronephrosis.

Abnormal Growths

Patients with lumps under the skin can get an ultrasound to identify if they have cancer or a non-cancerous cyst. Since early detection is important, an ultrasound can be a lifesaver. Plus, an ultrasound can follow up a mammogram if there are abnormalities that need further investigation.

Blood Clots

Ultrasounds monitor the blood flow in the arteries and veins of the body. Blood clots can be fatal, so it is important to identify blood clots when a patient is at risk. For example, a patient with diabetes may be at risk if they form a lesion on their body that turns into an ulcer. The doctor will order an ultrasound to review the parts of the body where the ulcer is present to rule out blood clots.

Reproduction Issues

An ultrasound can focus on the organs located in the pelvic area. These organs include the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and vagina or prostate. For females, it can also help diagnose gynecologic tumors, ovarian cysts, ovarian torsion, pelvic inflammatory disease, an egg outside of the fallopian tubes. Ultrasound can also assist with in vitro fertilization.

Who Performs Diagnostic Ultrasounds?

Ultrasounds help doctors diagnose diseases associated with the soft tissue of the body. The images aid doctors in creating a treatment plan for patients. It is the highly skilled diagnostic medical sonographer that completes the ultrasound and then passes it to a radiologist for review. If you want to help patients with life-threatening conditions, becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer may be the right career path for you. You get to use interesting technology and help others at the same time. It’s a win-win!

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Program

If you enjoy working side-by-side with physicians and radiologists and like a good challenge, this is your career! There is a high demand for Ultrasound Technicians in the US and abroad, so this job gives flexibility during your career.

In as little as 20 months, CBD College’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography Associate Degree Program will prepare you for what it takes to be a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer/Ultrasound Technician.