Sonography

What is sonography?

Sonography, or ultrasound, utilizes high frequency sound waves (not x-rays) to obtain diagnostic images. Ultrasound imaging is used to evaluate many parts of the body, including the abdomen, blood vessels, fetus of pregnant women, superficial body structures, and newborn brain to name only a few.

What is the importance of sonography today?

Ultrasonography enables to detect and investigate:
all diseases of the organs of the abdominal cavity in early stages
tumors of uterus and ovaries and abnormalities of reproductive organs
maturation of eggs and changes of endometrium in different stages of menstrual cycle
early pregnancy, including entopic pregnancy
development of fetuses and possible malformations of fetuses
position of the fetus, position of the placenta in the uterus and changes in it. It is also possible to estimate the quantity of amniotic fluid, evaluate heart function and breathing movements of the fetus.

What are the limitations of sonography?

Ultrasound waves cannot penetrate air & bone and hence sonography has limited applications in regions like the skull and chest

Is sonography harmful?

No harmful effects of sonography are known even on the embryo of the foetus of a pregnant women.

What is Color Doppler?

Colour Doppler is color-encoded sonography of the blood vessels. Blood flow is seen in color.
It is like sonography and there is no involvement of any injection of contrast

What is 3D & 4D sonography?

3D sonography is 3 Dimensional display of the surface of a structure like a foetal face/spine or any other part of the body. 4D sonography is a realtime 3 Dimensonal display with movements.

What is endovaginal sonography?

It is sonography done for better visualisation of uterus & ovaries. A high-resolution endovaginal probe is inserted into the vagina for this examination.
It is not painful.
It is done as a routine at our centre as it is observed that at times even fairly prominent lesions can be missed if only trans-abdominal sonography is performed.
It does nor require a full bladder.

Is dating and weight estimation 100% accurate?

Dating and weight estimation are just estimates based on statistical data of the baby size. It is not 100% accurate but predicts the dating and weight estimation up to +/- 10%.

Color Doppler

What is Color Doppler?

Color Doppler is a special ultrasound technique, which allows us to evaluate blood vessels.

What is the principle?

Using the Doppler principle of changing pitch with velocity, ultrasound waves that reflect from the red blood corpuscles in arteries and veins are evaluated for velocity and amplitude and color maps of the vessels can be generated.
Is special equipment required?
An ultrasound machine equipped with color Doppler facilities is required. These are now readily available at many centers.

What is its utility?

Color Doppler is very useful in evaluating the carotid arteries in the neck, the heart (echocardiography), the arteries and veins in the abdomen and the arteries and veins in the upper and lower limbs.

What is power Doppler?

It is a type of color Doppler.

Is any special preparation required?

No

What is the cost?

The cost varies from type to type depending on the kind of Colour Doppler being done.

Who is qualified to perform color Doppler?

A qualified radiologist is the only one who should perform color Doppler examinations.
However, Cardiac Colour Dopplers are performed by qualified cardiologists.

What are the contraindications in Colour Doppler?

There are no contraindications for color Doppler but like all other forms of cardiac ultrasound, technically poor studies may be obtained in patients with chronic lung disease or obesity. Additionally, the registration of color Doppler decreases in the far field and flow abnormalities may not be obvious in areas distant to the transducer.

2D & Color Echocardiography

Why is a 2D Echo done?

The test will help doctor -
To determine the hearts overall function.
To evaluate size of the heart and its pumping chambers (ventricles).
To visualized how well the heart is moving.
To evaluate how well the valves are working.
To see if there is any structural defect (like hole in the partitions of heart's chambers and narrowing or absence of valve/s).
To see if there is any evidence of blood clot, tumor or infection of the heart valves.
To see if there is any fluid around the heart.

What is the procedure involved?

Gel is applied to the chest and a transducer is moved over the chest area to produce an image of the internal structures of the heart.
The test will take from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the patients condition.
It is not uncomfortable or dangerous.

Is there any need to take a prior appointment?

Pre-register one or two days prior to the day the test is scheduled. This will save considerable time on the day of test.

Is it dangerous?

Ultrasound cannot be felt and does not hurt. There are no known harmful or proven side effects from ultrasound. If you are pregnant during the time an echocardiogram is performed there is no known danger to either mother or baby from this procedure.

ECG

Why did the doctor order an Electrocardiogram?

Your doctor asked you to have an electrocardiogram to obtain information about your heart’s electrical activity (rate and rhythm), irregularities and blood supply. It is also used to see whether there is any structural damage.

What preparations will I need to make?

No preparation is required for this test.

What is the procedure involved?

When you arrive at the medical center, you will be asked to undress down to the waist. Electrocardiogram (EKG) wires will be hooked up to your chest, wrists and legs. An EKG is done while you are lying down so the results only show the heart’s response at rest. A technician will be present throughout the entire test and will continuously monitor your blood pressure, heart rhythm and any change in your heart’s signals that occur.

How long will the procedure last?

The test will last approximately 10 minutes.

Pathology

Is Fasting required for routine investigations?

Yes fasting is required for most of the routine hematology and biochemical investigations unless specified otherwise by the doctor.

When can I get the report?

90% of reports can be given on the same day evening and certain specialized investigations can be done in a day or two.

Do you use disposable collection device?

Yes, for every patient fresh blood collection device is used which is then disposed with due precautions.

Do you offer home visit for blood collection?

Yes, Pls call us at our landline numbers to fix an appointment.

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Contact Nos: (022)- 24174700/4800 | Mail us at : accura@varghese.net