Ultrasound gel is a type of conductive medium used in ultrasound diagnostic techniques and treatment therapies. It is placed on the patient's skin at the beginning of the ultrasound examination or therapy. The transducer, which is the device used to send and receive sound waves, sits on top of it. Ultrasound gel is also used with a fetal Doppler, which can be used to allow parents and doctors to listen to the heartbeat of an unborn child.
Many doctors, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities use ultrasound technology for diagnostic purposes. It works by passing sound waves into a person's body. Once there, they don't stay for long. Instead, they bounce off the organ or other body part that doctors are trying to see. The sound waves then travel back through the transducer, and are finally analyzed by a computer, allowing the analyzed sound waves to be viewed on a monitor or even printed out for medical or patient use.
An ultrasound can be used to diagnose tumors and abnormal growths. It often plays a critical role in the early detection of cancers, and can be used to distinguish benign masses from those that are likely to be malignant, indicating whether further testing is needed. Ultrasound technology is also used to take pictures of a developing baby while it is still inside the mother's womb. This can help doctors determine whether or not it is developing normally; It can even allow medical professionals to see how blood flows in the fetal organs. Sometimes ultrasound is used to introduce sound waves into a person's body to produce heat that is said to relieve pain.
There are some things that act as impediments to the ultrasound waves. For example, ultrasounds are not effective techniques for imaging through bone. Air and other gases also impede sound waves, so medical professionals must wear something to prevent air bubbles from forming between the transducer and the patient's skin. This is where the ultrasound gel comes in. It serves to prevent air bubbles from forming and helps conduct sound waves from the transducer into the patient's body.
Ultrasound gel is typically clear and thick, but not uncomfortably sticky. When applied to the skin, it does not drip or drip. It adheres lightly to the skin until it is cleaned at the end of the procedure. The most common complaint about ultrasound gel is that it is cold. For this reason, many medical professionals use special heaters to bring their gel to a more comfortable temperature before applying it to the patient's skin.