How Does An Ultrasound Transducer Work

Definition

An ultrasound transducer is a safe, non-invasive piece of technology that was invented in 1957 by an English physician, Professor Ian Donald (1910-1987). This machine uses high-frequency sound waves and their echoes to create a picture on a specialized screen, revealing what's going on inside the organs of the body. It works on the same principles of echolocation used by bats, whales, dolphins and sonar used by submarines. The sound of the ultrasound transducer cannot be heard by the human ear.

Uses

An ultrasound transducer is an efficient and effective diagnostic tool that does not use radiation, and it can show detailed images within the body that X-rays cannot detect. An ultrasound transducer is most frequently used to view the development of a fetus in the uterus and to detect multiple births. It is also used to diagnose problems in the heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, blood vessels and cancer cells. This diagnostic tool is excellent for imaging soft tissue, but it is not as good at imaging bone or air cells.

Advantages

Using an ultrasound transducer as a diagnostic tool is safe, painless, easy and comfortable. There is no radiation involved, so it can be used to examine the unborn child without harm. And the results of the sonogram are seen immediately on the specialized monitor screen, which makes for a quick diagnosis.

Ultrasound Transducer Parts

The basic parts of a ultrasound transducer are: A transducer probe used to glide over the gelled area of the body to be examined; central processing unit, the main part of the ultrasound transducer; transducer pulse controls; display screen; keyboard and cursor; disk storage device, and printer.

How It Works

Gel, which is placed on the area of the body to be examined, acts as a conductor for sound waves. The transducer probe glides over the gelled area, producing high-frequency sound waves that are introduced into the body. The sound waves bounce off the tissue being examined, the information is returned to the transducer and the waves are fed into the computer. A picture, called a sonogram, is displayed on the computer screen.

Tags: sound waves, ultrasound transducer, diagnostic tool, area body, area body examined