Understanding Women’s Health Ultrasound Applications

Introduction:

Part of our “Understanding Ultrasounds” series includes understanding and discussing various ultrasound applications, what they are used to diagnose, probes that specialize in these applications, and which are the best ultrasound machines to employ – whether it be for a specialist or general diagnostician. This particular article will focus on Women’s Health applications, which applications are covered under “Women’s Health” category, and the best probes and transducers to use for these applications.

 

 

Women’s Health Ultrasound Applications:

Applications:

There is no actual application called “Women’s Health”, like there is a “Cardiac” or “Abdominal” application. Rather, the term is used to describe a variety of applications that all fall categorically under this name. These applications include Abdominal, OB-GYN (Obstetrics and Gynecology), Urological, Vaginal and Breast. Therefore, when referring to an ultrasound machine that specializes in Women’s Health – be sure to understand that these are the categories that are included.

Overview:

Women’s Health diagnosticians are responsible diagnosing potential ailments in a variety of locations. From discovering tumors or other growths that could potentially be cancerous in the breasts, to examining fetal development and growth, to vaginal examinations, Women’s Health is a major industry globally. There are many ultrasound machines, ultrasound probes and technologies that have developed in order to provide the most accurate images and diagnosis possible.

Ultrasound Machines:

Some of the most advanced used ultrasound machines available are Women’s Health ultrasound machines. Some of the more popular machines, based on our experience and customer reviews, include the Samsung WS80A, GE Voluson E8, the Esaote Biosound MyLab 50 and the Mindray M7 portable ultrasound system.

OB-GYN Application:

Overview:

OB-GYN, otherwise known as Obstetrics and Gynecology, is the study of fetuses / infants and the female reproductive organs. OB-GYN ultrasounds are taken to examine the health, development and condition of fetuses throughout the course of pregnancy, in additional to insuring that women recover properly from childbirth or any other occurrence. Any ultrasound machine that is capable of preforming Obstetric applications can always produce Gynecological images, and vice versa.

OB-GYN Probes:

There are two primary types of ultrasound probes / transducers that specialize in OB-GYN applications: Curved Array probes and Endocavitary probes. Curved array probes are recognizable by their rectangular crescent lens on it’s face. Endocavitary probes are long probes, pointed like a stick, and have a tiny curved lens at the edge. Both of these probes tend to have similar frequency ranges, as they both are used to inspect and diagnose the same area of the body.

There are more curved array and endocavitary probes that are capable of producing 3D / 4D images than any other type of transducer. This is because OB-GYN image technology was the first, and remains more advanced than other applications.

Ultrasound Machines:

When it comes to OB-GYN ultrasound machines, there is no manufacturer that has done more for the industry than GE. GE famously develops ultrasound series’ based on what application the series will specialize in. The GE Voluson ultrasound series, including the Voluson i portable ultrasound, Voluson E8 and Voluson P8 are amongst the top OB-GYN systems on the market. The Samsung WS80A premier ultrasound machine is also a global leader in OB-GYN technology.

Breast Application:

 

Overview:

Breast ultrasound imaging is technically part of the “Small Parts”ultrasound category, along with Thyroid and Testicular applications. But, seeing as Breast ultrasound is almost by definition part of Women’s Health, it is important to mention here as well. One of the leading and most popular uses for Breast ultrasounds is to determine and diagnose breast cancer. Other motives include discovering clots or structural damage.

Breast Probes:

The probes that are employed to perform breast ultrasounds are called linear array transducers. These probes are recognizable by their long straight line shaped lens on the face of the probe. These transducers tend to have high frequency ranges, due to the fact that they don’t need to penetrate very far. There are two different types of linear probes; Wideband linear probes, recognizable by their longer lens, and hockey stick probes (also known as intraoperative transducers).

Ultrasound Machines:

The ultrasound machines, other than classic Women’s Health machines, that are the best for Breast applications are the machines that specialize in Small Parts applications. Some of these machines include the GE Logiq e portable ultrasound machine, the Samsung HS50, and the Mindray DC-7 ultrasound machines.

Urological Application:

Overview:

Urological ultrasounds are primarily required to determine whether one has either cancerous growths by the bladder, structural damage to the bladder wall, general bladder dysfunction, or prostate stones. The ultrasound imaging process is painless, safe, and quick. To understand a little more about ultrasound safety, click here.

Urological Probes:

The same ultrasound probes / transducers that are capable of displaying OB-GYN applications are the same types of probes that specialize in Urological applications. Both the curved array and endocavitary probes are, majority of the time, capable of producing these images. Again, curved array probes can be identified by the long rectangular curved lens on the face of the transducer, and the endocavitary probes are long and rounded at the point.

Ultrasound Machines:

Most Women’s Health ultrasound machines are capable of producing Women’s Health images are also capable of producing Urological images. That being said, there are certain used ultrasound machines, like the GE Logiq V2 portable ultrasound machine, that specialize in Urological applications. Other General Imaging machines are also popular for Urological applications, including the Siemens Acuson S3000 and Philips Epiq 5 ultrasound systems.