For many of you who already know me through my articles you know that I have told you that I’m a physician. In the Republic of Venezuela one obtains the title of medical surgeon, but I have a specialization in ultrasound imaging, that is, I am a medical sonographer.
A medical sonographer is in charge of studying the human organs by means of the image in shades of gray scale via specialized equipment called an ultrasound scanner, through this, images of organs can be viewed using a transducer that picks up high-frequency sound waves and carries the sound to the internal organs and when the signal is returned it goes to a screen and from there the possible alterations of a human organ can be observed in detail.
This transducer has crystals inside that vibrate when in contact with the body. The transducer must be fitted with a gel that serves to transport the isoelectric signal. So it transmits through the gel that is added to its external part and collects the sound and conducts it into the body and then returns as an echo to the equipment showing on a screen the image of the organ, which from the expertise of the manipulator of the transducer may appear on the screen.
In this way the organ can be visualized in two planes as in my case with the equipment which is in 2D. In other words, the dimensions to be evaluated are in two planes only. The image is observed in a gray scale, and according to what each organ can make known by their anatomy, they show different tones that result from the exploration of the abdomen or the human pelvis.
Each structure of the organism presents, according to the gray scale, more or less clarity or darkness. To understand these it’s necessary to have certain knowledge acquired through studies and certain practice to differentiate concretely if the image observed is normal or if, on the contrary, it presents some alteration.
Through the ability to elucidate what may be normal from what may be pathological, a diagnosis can be made through ultrasound with an accuracy of 80% to 90%.
Of course, an ultrasound diagnosis is not a definitive diagnosis without the certainty and complement of the clinical and para-clinical diagnosis.
I mean, the diagnosis resulting from the ultrasound examination of a patient, even if it gives a positive result for a certain pathology in question, should only be taken as the complement of a good medical examination performed on the patient and of the laboratory results obtained by the patient.
Having said this, we must be sure to alert the patient about the findings and about the importance of not taking the final ultrasound result for granted as the definitive diagnostic result. This until the patient is re-evaluated by the physician and it’s he who will make the differentiation between the ultrasound diagnosis and the clinical diagnosis and that of the laboratory tests. His diagnosis will confirm or reject the seriousness or not of each patient's situation.
At present the ultrasound diagnosis gives an important certainty of a definitive diagnosis in many cases but in a significant percentage of cases it does not give a definitive diagnosis but only a partial diagnosis and a medical complement.
Having explained this, I will be able to perform ultrasound examinations to my patients and when I find in them some pathological situation that deserves to be shared with you for your better understanding of these pathologies and their management, I will do it.
By these means I will share with you important ultrasound pathologies that are generally taken very deliberately by the patients, this because of the lack of knowledge of these pathologies and their consequences.
In some cases a slight knowledge of the common cases and of the most adequate management of certain pathologies leads to the total elimination of the problem.
I hope that the recommendations that will be included in the different pathologies that I will refer to can be useful for your "better living".
Soon I will be commenting on the first pathological images that I may be observing.
When I go for a medical checkup, taking an ultrasound exam is one of my favourites because it is calming, having the gel applied and the ultrasound physician glides the handle around :D Have you managed to get your machine fixed? I am still unable to send you $$$ :( I wrote to hello@read.cash but no response yet.