Ultrasound (Diagnostic Medical Sonography)

One of the first steps to discovering what we now know as ultrasound came out of a world-famous tragedy – the Titanic. Prompted by this incident, a French physicist found a way to detect icebergs in the water. Thus ultrasound was born. It was later used to detect submarines and didn’t reach the medical community until the late 1940’s, when research began in our very own University of Pennsylvania.

Today, ultrasound is a common diagnostic medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce dynamic images, called sonograms. Ultrasound (or sonography) is a non-invasive, painless, radiation-free method of getting images of blood flow inside the body, as well as just about every type of tissue or organ. Ultrasound is also a great way to determine whether any tissues are damaged and measure the size of the affected area.

It has absolutely no known side effects or risks and it is safe enough to use on pregnant women and infants. Ultrasound has become one of the most widely used diagnostic tools in modern medicine.

The procedure usually involves the patient laying on a table, getting some warm gel applied to the area to be examined and having the technologist move a transducer wand around in that gel while watching the real-time images on a screen.

Independent Physician Medical Center is equipped with the gold standard Siemens Aspen Acuson ultrasound system. Extremely powerful and versatile, the Aspen system offers a high level of performance in all clinical applications, from checking for deep vein thrombosis to finding out the size and sex of your unborn child.