P3 - Ultrasound

Question 1

What is ultrasound?

Answer 1

Ultrasound is the name given to any sounds over 20 000Hz which are out of the range of human hearing.

Question 2

What are transducers?

Answer 2

Transducers can create and detect ultrasounds.

Question 3

How does ultrasound interact with different tissue boundaries?

Answer 3

Ultra sound is partially reflected when it meets a boundary between two different mediums (different substances, different densities). It is partially reflected when it meets different media. The time taken for the reflections to reach the detector is then recorded and each boundary distance is measured and an image is formed.

Question 4

Why is a gel placed on your skin before a scan?

Answer 4

To prevent an air to tissue boundary.

Question 5

How can an ultrasound scan be used?

Answer 5

Prenatal Scans.

Removing plaque from teeth.

Question 6

Compare ultrasound to x rays.

Answer 6

Advantages

• non invasive
• non ionising (X-rays are)
• can be in real time.

Disadvantages
- not as clear as x rays.