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Physics - Ultrasound

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Physics Ultrasound is the name given to sound waves that have frequencies greater than 20000Hz. It's too high pitched for human hearing, but many animals, such as dogs, cats and bats can hear ultr ... asound. Ultrasound has many applications in medicine. These include: • Checking the condition of a foetus • Investigating liver problems • Investigating heart problems • Breaking down kidney stones and stones elsewhere in the body • Measuring the speed of blood flow in the body Medical images from ultrasound The ultrasound is sent into the patients body. At each boundary between different tissues or organs some of the ultrasound is reflected. The depth of each layer is calculated using the time taken for each reflected wave to return. The reflected waves (echoes) are usually processed to produce a picture of the inside of the body on a screen. Higher tier only The ultrasound waves used to image babies and soft tissue organs have small amplitude so are low energy. This makes it safer for the patient, as no damage is done to any living cells. The alternative is X-rays which are high energy electromagnetic waves and which have enough energy to damage or kill human cells. Breaking down kidney stones and stones elsewhere in the body A high powered ultrasound wave is used to break down kidney stones and other stones in the body. The stones vibrate [Show More]

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