Clinical technology · reviewed

Medical ultrasound

From the 1940s

Ultrasound forms images from echoes of high-frequency sound transmitted into the body.

Clinical experiments began in several countries during the 1940s and 1950s. Piezoelectric transducers, pulse-echo methods, amplification, and display electronics gradually made real-time, non-ionizing imaging practical. A probe sends short sound pulses into the body and listens for echoes from tissue boundaries. Because it produces moving images without ionizing radiation, ultrasound became especially useful in obstetrics, cardiology, abdominal imaging, and procedures that require real-time guidance.

Sources

My ultrasound used to look like what? — Lauren Rever, 2017-03-10
Medical Imaging: From Roentgen to the Digital Revolution, and Beyond — Hedvig Hricak et al., 2018

Concept map · prerequisites lead toward this node; descendants continue outward.

A sonographer performing pediatric echocardiography — A clinician uses an ultrasound probe while viewing a pediatric echocardiogram. Unknown creator. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Direct relationships

Piezoelectricity→Medical ultrasoundEnabled ultrasound transmission and echo reception · high confidence
Sonar→Medical ultrasoundProvided pulse-echo engineering precedents · medium confidence
Semiconductor transistor→Medical ultrasoundMade amplification, processing, and compact display systems practical · medium confidence