Ultrasound imaging (sonography) uses high frequency sound waves to examine many of the body’s internal organs. When a sound wave strikes an object, it bounces back, or echoes, and an image is produced based on the reflection of the sound waves off body structures.
Unlike X-ray imaging, there is no radiation exposure associated with ultrasound imaging.
Emerson Hospital offers ultrasound services at our main campus in Concord—where our new ultrasound suite features all private rooms and a separate waiting area—the Hermel Breast Health Center in Concord, and at the Westford Health Center.
Why ultrasound is performed
Ultrasound imaging is a medical tool that can help a physician evaluate and diagnose a wide range of medical conditions affecting different organs of the body, as well as guide treatment.
The types of ultrasound exams we offer
At Emerson, we offer the following types of ultrasound imaging (sonography):
What an ultrasound exam involves
During an ultrasound exam, a transducer (probe) is placed directly on the skin or inside a body opening (depending on the area of the body being examined). A thin layer of gel is applied to the skin. When the transducer is pressed against the skin, ultrasound waves—small pulses of inaudible, high-frequency sound waves—are transmitted from the transducer through the gel into the body.
The transducer both sends the sound waves and receives the echoing waves. The echoes are captured and processed by a computer, which produces images of the part of the body being examined.
