The main uses of Ultrasound in an imaging department and a vascular department - Essay Example

o Sandhu (2007), ultrasonography can image soft tissues such as muscles, blood vessels and so on and can also monitor needle position while the interventional procedures. In anesthesia setting, ultrasound is the best choice due to the compactness of the instrumentation, easy transportability and lack of damage to tissues (Sandhu, 2007). In the imaging department, ultrasound is also useful for determining neuaxial blocks in people especially children. Ultrasound imaging for determining transthoarcic and transesopheageal echo-cardiography is utilized to diagnose cardiac anesthesia, trauma anesthesia and order cardiac function abnormalities that arise either during the perioperative period or intensive care settings (Sandhu, 2007).

Forsbery et al. (2002) argued in its research paper that imaging modalities such as MRI and CT have well established 3D data displays and therefore are being used increasingly in the diagnostic decision rather than ultrasound. This is because the time available for acquirement and processing of 3D data is limited in ultrasound imaging. For example, in Doppler ultrasound, blood flow data is obtained using multiple firing methods. Accordingly, improvements in the computer processing technology and visualization methods, the clinical use of vascular 3D ultrasound has increased.

The clinical uses of 3D ultrasound include evaluation of the flow in the carotid artery, kidney, placenta and others (Forsbery et al., 2002). The advantage of the 3D ultrasound is that the doctors can localize a functional abnormality that is relative to primary anatomy. Other advantage of 3D vascular imaging is that ease that is involved in the segmentation of data flow from the tissue echoes (Forsbery et al., 2002). Thus, as a result, ultrasound imaging in the imaging department has become successful as it provides “noninvasive, 2D as well as 3D images of soft tissues and blood flow without ionizing the radiation” (Forsbery et al. 2002). Ultrasound is also