Medical ultrasound or sonography test is a diagnostic imaging method based on the use of high frequency sound waves to get a scan of the body structures, such as tendons, muscles, joints, blood vessels and organs. The ultrasound purpose is to define the disease source or exclude a pathology.
Ultrasound is also widely used for the assessment of pregnancy. This method is called obstetric ultrasound.
Ultrasound uses waves with frequencies higher than audible ones. Ultrasound images, also known as sonograms, are created by sending ultrasound pulses into tissue using a probe. Sound is echoed off the fabric, and these echoes (of varying degrees) are displayed as an image on the screen.
Compared to other types of medical imaging, ultrasound has several advantages. It provides real-time imaging, does not use harmful ionizing radiation. But this technique includes various limitations.
Ultrasound scans is widely used by Israeli doctors, both for diagnosis and therapeutic procedures. For instance, invasive biopsy procedures can be performed under ultrasound guidance.
The type of an ultrasound scan depends on the specialist, so our doctors will refer you to a specific radiologist to diagnose. We will promptly coordinate an ultrasound in Israel, transfer to the clinics, we will provide oral and written translations.
In the case of cardiac ultrasound or echocardiography, this procedure as well as its interpretation should be performed by a cardiologist.
Ultrasound is used to study various body systems:
♦ Anesthesia. Ultrasound is widely used by anesthesiologists to guide an injection needle for local anesthesia.
♦ Cardiology. Echocardiography is an important tool in cardiology to diagnose dilatation of heart parts,
including ventricular and valve function.
♦ Gastroenterology / Colorectal Surgery. Ultrasound is used to assess the health of the solid abdominal organs, such as the pancreas, aorta, inferior vena cava, liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, kidneys, and spleen. But the intestines gases may block sound waves and with abdominal fatty deposits attenuate ultrasound, so it has limited capabilities in this area. Ultrasound is used in acute conditions such as appendicitis. Endoanal ultrasound is used, in particular, to investigate anorectal symptoms such as fecal incontinence or complicated bowel movements.
♦ Angiology and angioneurology. Duplex ultrasound – vascular imaging (Doppler) is used daily in angiology to diagnose arterial and venous disease.
♦ Head and neck surgery / Otolaryngology. High-frequency ultrasound visualizes in details the most of neck structures, including the thyroid and parathyroid glands, lymph nodes, and salivary glands. Ultrasound also is the preferred imaging tool for thyroid tumors, its using is critical for an evaluation, planning, preoperative and postoperative follow-up of thyroid cancer patients. Diagnostic ultrasound evaluates and monitors many other benign and malignant tumors in the head and neck region.
♦ Neurology. To assess blood flow and stenosis of the carotid arteries and large intracerebral arteries, ultrasound or transcranial Doppler is used.
♦ Obstetrics. Obstetric ultrasound is commonly used during pregnancy to monitor the fetus development.
♦ Ophthalmology. Ultrasound eyes images allow to assess a vision condition.
♦ Pulmonology. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is used as a standard flexible endoscopic probes
by pulmonologists to visualize endobronchial lesions and lymph nodes prior to transbronchial puncture.
Among various using, EBUS is also a method to diagnose lung cancer by sampling lymph nodes without
necessity of the major surgery.
♦ Urology. Ultrasound is used to determine a remaining fluid amount in the patient’s bladder, and to evaluate the uterus and ovaries, prostate, or testicles (eg, testicular epididymitis). In young men, ultrasound is used to detect benign testicular masses (varicocele or dropsy), which are curable but, if it won’t be untreated, this can negatively affect the health and fertility of a man, and to rule out testicular cancer.
There are two ways to perform pelvic sonography – external and internal. Internal pelvic ultrasound is performed either transvaginally (women) or transrectally (men). Pelvic floor ultrasound can provide important diagnostic information for the specialist with about the exact relationship of abnormal structures with other small body structures. This imaging tool plays an important role in making decisions about the patients treatment with various health conditions – pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence and obstruction of defecation. Ultrasound is also used at higher frequencies to treat (dusrupt) stones or crystals in the kidney (nephrolithiasis).
♦ Musculoskeletal system. Ultrasound is used to evaluate the condition of tendons, muscles, nerves, ligaments, soft tissue masses and bone surfaces. Ultrasound is an alternative to X-ray imaging to detect wrist, elbow and shoulder fractures in patients under 12 years old.
♦ Cardiovascular system (arterial sonography). Ultrasound is used to assess arterial patency, to diagnose deep vein thrombosis (thrombosonography), and determine the degree and severity of venous insufficiency (venosonography).
Other types of ultrasound include:
Interventional ultrasound: FNA biopsies, a fluid drainage, intrauterine blood transfusions (newborn hemolytic disease), a contrast ultrasound. Elastography displays the elastic properties of soft tissues.
Types of Ultrasound to be performed in Israeli hospitals:
US – diabetes
Gynecological ultrasound small pelvis
Gynecological ultrasound
Vaginal ultrasound
US – scanning – Pregnancy
US – detailed – diabetes
US temporomandibular joint
Ultrasonography abdomen
Doppler veins of the upper extremities
Ultrasound knee
Doppler lower limb arteries
Ultrasound renal arteries
Ultrasound kidneys and bladder
Ultrasonography shoulder
Doppler carotid arteries
Ultrasonography abdomen and pelvis
Doppler parathyroid
US spine – infant
Liver ultrasound
Thyroid ultrasound
Ultrasound brain (transcranial Doppler)
Testicular ultrasound
Ultrasound stomach
Ultrasound salivary glands
Ultrasound Bladder
Doppler lower extremities
US soft tissue
Ultrasound arteries upper limbs with loads
US hip
Trans-rectal ultrasound
Trans-rectal US + biopsy
Ultrasound nuchal
Ultrasound scan of the uterus
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