It is no doubt that since the birth of ultrasound, new technologies have been continuously developed for the advancement in Diagnostic Sonography. In just the last 30 years, Diagnostic Sonography has become ranked amongst the most rapid and complex developments in Diagnostic Imaging and healthcare. With this growth have come concerns, primarily the concerns of the effects of the sound waves on the biological tissues. These hazards derive mostly from the heating of the tissue by the absorption of the sound energy, from the mechanical effects (cavitation) arising from the presence of gas, and from radiation pressure. The mechanisms that result are Bioeffects. Bioeffects are an unfortunate reality of Diagnostic
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There are many new technologies that have been established to create higher quality images and along with this come increased applications on ultrasound machines. There are now more buttons than ever and newer transducers. Transducers such as the transvaginal, which allows the sonographer to view closer to the tissue for a better look, but this also comes with its dangers because of its proximity to the cells and organs. There is another side to this equation and that is how educated and trained is the Sonographer performing the exam. Many baby boutiques have popped up over the last decade and this leads to many unqualified personnel who have little to no training. These cosmetic ultrasounds (for entertainment) may be doing more harm than good to the fetus, especially when exposure time is a major factor in bioeffects. The combination of temperature, exposure time, and the sensitivity of the tissues can determine the possibilities of bioeffects. Numerous studies have been done that claim that children who have ultrasound exposure have an increased risk with low birth weight, autism, speech delay, neural migration, and lung-intestinal lining damage. We’ve been here previously when it took over 65 years before the realization of the dangers of X-ray irradiation of
There are many new technologies that have been established to create higher quality images and along with this come increased applications on ultrasound machines. There are now more buttons than ever and newer transducers. Transducers such as the transvaginal, which allows the sonographer to view closer to the tissue for a better look, but this also comes with its dangers because of its proximity to the cells and organs. There is another side to this equation and that is how educated and trained is the Sonographer performing the exam. Many baby boutiques have popped up over the last decade and this leads to many unqualified personnel who have little to no training. These cosmetic ultrasounds (for entertainment) may be doing more harm than good to the fetus, especially when exposure time is a major factor in bioeffects. The combination of temperature, exposure time, and the sensitivity of the tissues can determine the possibilities of bioeffects. Numerous studies have been done that claim that children who have ultrasound exposure have an increased risk with low birth weight, autism, speech delay, neural migration, and lung-intestinal lining damage. We’ve been here previously when it took over 65 years before the realization of the dangers of X-ray irradiation of