Examples of Ultrasound Terminology
Whether you're going for your very first ultrasound or you have been to several in the past, learning some ultrasound terminology can certainly be quite helpful for you. You'll better understand what the doctors are talking about and it will help you ask questions to better understand your particular situation and to further your knowledge and understanding.
Ultrasound Terminology
There is a plethora of ultrasound and medical terminology used during the ultrasound process. Here are the definitions for some of the key words and phrases.
- Ultrasound scans: "Sound waves that are beamed into the body causing return echoes that are recorded to 'visualize' structures beneath the skin." (Medicine Net)
- Transducers: "Convert one form of energy to another [during the process]." They are the cameras of the operation and can also be known as probes or the scanheads. (Tufts Ultrasound Terminology)
- Gel couplant: "A trans-sonic material which eliminates the air interface between the transducer and the animal's skin." (Tufts Ultrasound Terminology)
- Velocity of sound: The speed that a sound way travels at (Tufts Ultrasound Terminology)
- Mechanical probes: These devices let the ultrasound beams sweep through the tissues. (Tufts Ultrasound Terminology)
- Two dimensional ultrasound: This process is the standard ultrasound performed. (Baby2See Ultrasonography)
- Doppler ultrasound: "...a special form of ultrasonography that images and examines blood flow. In particular, a Doppler ultrasound examines the changes in pitch in the soundwaves produced, which provides information about blood flow." (Baby2See Ultrasonography)
- Endoscopic ultrasound: "A procedure that combines endoscopy and ultrasound to obtain images and information about the digestive tract and the surrounding tissues and organs." (Med Terms)
- Transvaginal ultrasound: "A technique in which sound waves are sent out by an ultrasound probe that has been inserted in the vagina. The waves go through the vaginal wall and bounce off the ovaries, and a computer uses the ultrasound echoes to create a picture [which is known as a sonogram]." (Med Terms)
According to the glossary of terms on Medicine Net, Tufts Visualsonics, Baby2See Ultrasonography , and Med Terms, the following terms round out the most frequently used terminology during the ultrasound procedure:
- 12 weeks scan
- Three dimensional ultrasound
- Four dimensional ultrasound
- Resolution
- Axial resolution
- Lateral resolution
- Pulsed transducers
- Attenuation
- Sound waves
- Anechoic
- Amplitude modulation (A-mode)
- Brightness modulation (B-mode)
- Cystic
- Enhancement
- Frequency
- Homogenous
- Hyper-echoic
- Hypo-echoic
- Interface
- M-mode
- Noise
- Reverberation
- Shadowing
- Time gain compensation
- Speckle
- Pulsed wave mode
- Doppler shift
- Sample volume
- Aliasing
- Spectral broadening
- Color doppler
- Power doppler
- Doppler
- Pulsed wave doppler
- Coronal
- Transverse
- Sagittal
- Superior, Cranial, Cephalad, Rostral
- Inferior or Caudal
- Anterior or Ventral
- Posterior or Dorsal
- Medial
- Lateral
- Proximal
- Distal
- Abdomen
- Abdominal cavity
- Abdominal pain
- Abscess
- Aneurysm
- Aorta
- Aotric valve
- Appendicitis
- Atery
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrium
- Bile
- Bladder
- Blood clots
- Bowel
- Brain
- Cardiology
- Carotid
- Computerized tomography
- Congestive heart failure
- Contraction
- Cyst
- Deep vain thrombosis
- Dialation
- Echocardiography
- Endometriosis
- Esophagus
- Fetus
- Fibrillation
- Fibroids
- Gallbladder
- Gallstones
- Gland
- Groin
- Heart muscle
- Heart valves
- Hypertension
- Infection
- Intestine
- Joint
- Kidney
- Knee joint
- Left atrium
- Left ventricle
- Liver
- Lungs
- Mouth
- Muscle
- Neck
- Organ
- Ovarian
- Ovary
- Pancreas
- Pelvic
- Pericardial
- Pericardium
- Pregnancy
- Probe
- Prostate
- Pulmonary
- Radiation
- Radiologist
- Rupture
- Scan
- Stenosis
- Stroke
- Testicles
- Thrombosis
- Thyroid gland
- Tomography
- Ultrasound
- Uterine fibroids
- Uterus
- Vagina
- Vein
- Ventricle
- Womb
Definitions of Terms
The science resources at YourDictionary are an easy, convenient way to learn the definitions of the terms listed above as well as all the terminology related to the ultrasound process and the medical conditions which are often mentioned in conjunction with an ultrasound test.