Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been a driving push in medical imaging to develop techniques that are noninvasive and without exposure to potentially harmful ionizing radiation. The two imaging modalities that are leading this initiative are ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Ultrasound generates images through the interaction of the body with sound waves. Through differences in the interaction of tissue with incident, high-frequency sound waves, two-dimensional (2D) grayscale images of the body can be generated. Additionally, ultrasound can measure blood flow and velocity, provide multiplanar and three-dimensional (3D) imaging, visualize dynamic moving structures such as a fetus and the heart, and evaluate superficial structures such as the thyroid and joints with high-resolution imaging. All of these imaging features are provided by hardware which is portable and easy to transport, unlike the bulky stationary scanners of computed tomography and MRI. Additionally, ultrasound represents a cost-effective examination that can be repeated on regular intervals but without the significant cost burden of other imaging exams.
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Costello, J.R., Arif, H., Kalb, B., Martin, D.R. (2017). Ultrasound. In: Maqbool, M. (eds) An Introduction to Medical Physics. Biological and Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61540-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61540-0_12
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