Ultrasound

The Professional Development Service for Teachers is funded by the Department 1

of Education and Science under the National Development Plan
Ultrasound

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 Ultrasound
This unit explores ultrasound.
By the end you should understand and
be able to explain the following ideas

Some background information about ultrasound.

 Some of the physics ideas behind ultrasound.
 Some uses of ultrasound in medicine.
 Perform some simple experiments
 Solve simple problems using formulae and
calculations
 Have the basic knowledge needed for Expert
Group tasks
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What is a ultrasound?
Ultrasound or ultrasonography is a medical
imaging technique that uses high frequency
sound waves and their echoes. These
frequencies are between 1 MHz and 10 MHz
(mega, M, is one million or × 106) and such
frequencies cannot be heard by humans

The technique is similar to the method of

location used by bats, whales and dolphins,
as well as SONAR used by submarines.
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When and why is it used?
• There are many occasions when ultrasound is a
favourable method of viewing inside the body
• An obstetrician can use ultrasound to check the
development of an unborn baby
• Doppler ultrasound can be use to view blood flow
through the heart and diagnose circulation problems
• Ultrasound is a ‘non-invasive’ imaging method with
instant results, relatively inexpensive, with little or no
health risks
• Recent advances, including 4D with surface rendering
have increased the resolution and detail of ultrasound
scans
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 Physics principles: Waves
l crest l
l Amplitude
mean or
zero position

l l
trough

Frequency (f) – number of waves per second (in Hz)

Wavelength (l) – distance between any point on one wave

v = fl
and the corresponding point on the next wave

Velocity

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 Physics Principles
Ultrasounds are sound waves whose frequency is above the
range of normal human hearing. Audible sound frequencies
extend from about 20 to 20,000 hertz (1 Hz = 1 cycle
per second).

SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging; it was

developed during World War I for submarine detection.

It relies on the reflection of ultrasonic pulses bouncing off

an object. By timing how long it takes for the signal to
return, the depth of the object can be calculated. It has
been used to map the ocean floor, as well as finding shoals
of fish by fishermen.
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SONAR Applications

Click on the picture for the

video on SONAR

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From the
Beginning

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How does an ultrasound machine work?
 The ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency
(1 to 5 megahertz) sound pulses into the body using
a probe.

 The sound waves travel into the body and hit

different tissue, fluid or bone

 Some of the sound waves get reflected back to the

probe, (A) while some travel on further until they
reach another boundary and then get reflected. (B)

 The reflected waves are picked up by the probe and

relayed to the machine.

 Using speed = distance x time the machine

calculates the distance from the probe to the tissue
or organ.

 The machine displays the distances and intensities

of the echoes on the screen, forming a two 10
dimensional image
How is an ultrasound machine operated?
 The patient must remove
clothing around the area to
be examined.
 A gel is applied to the area-
this removes any air which
would affect the signal.
 The probe or transducer is
placed on the skin.
 A computer monitor
displays the image which
can be stored or printed
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 Ultrasound Simulation
Different depths
or densities
produce different
intensities

boundaries

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Ultrasound in Action

Click on the picture for video on ultrasound

(requires video file)
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 Experiment
Using the apparatus shown, design an
experiment to find the upper frequency
that you can hear
signal generator loudspeaker Cathode ray oscilloscope
microphone

Hz

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 Student Activity
Try to find out if your mother had an
ultrasound scan while she was pregnant with
you or a brother or sister
See if she received a printout

It may still exist!

If you have a scanner make a
copy of it rather than
bringing the original to
school
Your first picture is very
precious! 15
 Student Activity- Problem
An ultrasonic pulse has a speed of
1500 ms-1 in a sample of soft tissue.
If the frequency is 10 MHz, find its
wavelength using...

speed = frequency ×
wavelength

v = fl
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 Student Activity- Solution
v = 1500 ms-1
f = 10 000 000 Hz
l = ?
speed = frequency x wavelength
v = f×l
1500 = (10 000000)(l)
1500/(10 000000) = l
0.00015 m = l
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 The Doppler Effect
• Discovered by Christian Doppler (1803 – 1853)
• The sound of an approaching car appears to be
higher pitched than when it is going away.
• The apparent change in pitch is due to the
Doppler effect and can be calculated using

fc f '= apparent frequency

f'=
c±u f = actual frequency
c = speed of wave
Use negative u as source approaches speed of source
u=
Use positive u as source departs
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As the object moves the As the object moves the
waves are stretched here waves are compressed here

Hear the Doppler Effect Again

Click here for web simulation

http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/ntnujava/viewtopic.php?t =
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 The Doppler Effect
• The Doppler Effect is used by the
Gardaí in their speed guns.

• When light undergoes a Doppler shift,

it’s colour changes. The “Red Shift” of
distance stars is evidence that
the Universe is expanding
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Student Activity / Demo
• Place a buzzer connected to
a battery into a small net
(a washing powder net is ideal)
• Carefully swing around your
head
• The rest of the class will
hear the Doppler Effect
• Your will not hear any change
in pitch Why?

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 Student Activity /Problem
A fire engine travelling at 30 ms-1 passes a
man standing on the footpath.

The siren emits a note of frequency 1 kHz.

If the speed of the sound in the air is 336 ms-1,
what is the frequency heard by the man
as the fire engine
(a) approaches
(b) departs

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 Student Activity /Solution
approaches departs

u = 30 ms-1. u = 30 ms-1.
fc
f'= f = 1000 Hz.
f = 1000 Hz. c±u c = 336 ms-1
c = 336 ms-1 f' =?
f' =?
f' = 1000(336) f' = 1000(336)
336-30 336+30
f' = 1098 Hz f' = 918 Hz

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 Doppler Ultrasound
• As the ultrasound reflects off the flowing blood there is a
Doppler Shift.
• This can be used to analyse the flow of blood in an artery or
through the heart.
• A Doppler ultrasound, also known as a echocardiogram ,can
be used to diagnose coronary heat disease (artery blockages)
and other heart problems with the valves or the hearts rhythm

Ultrasound flow in a
spleen. Colour is added to
the image; red is flow
away from the probe and
blue is flow towards the
probe.

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 Student Activity
Determine Heart Rate by Pulse Taking
Rest two fingers against the inside of your wrist
You will feel a pulse as the blood gushes in your radial artery
Count the number of pulses in 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to calculate the
heart rate per minute
Repeat this 3 times and calculate your average
Exercise by doing standing
squats for 5 minutes
Take your pulse again until it
returns to your rest pulse
You can plot a graph of pulse
against time
What conclusions can you draw
from your ‘recovery time’? 25
 Portable Doppler Ultrasound

Click the icon

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 3D Ultrasound
Recent advances in electronics and computing
power have led to the development of 3D scanning
which shows greater detail such as perspective

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 4D Ultrasound
If many images are recorded in the scan and merged together a
movement can be seen and so a movie can be made
Computers can also add ‘ a skin effect’ this is called surface rendering

Click on picture for 4D scan of twins in the womb 28

 Research from Ultrasound
Recent advances in imaging
have lead to new
discoveries about the
behaviour of the unborn.
It is now known that the
unborn baby opens its
eyes, cries, yawns and
even scratches!
ultrasound.mpeg

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 Student Activity
Ultrasound scans have always been able to determine the
sex of the baby.
Some parents do not wish to know the gender of their baby
What do you think?
It is also now possible to diagnose many more foetal
abnormalities
Could this lead to increased numbers of terminations?
-this is a complex medical ethics issue
What are your opinions?
Maybe you would like to do further research,
write an essay or debate the issue?

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 Ultrasound Treatments
Ultrasound is the best form of heat treatment for soft
tissue injuries. It is used to treat joint and muscle sprains,
and tendonitis.

Ultrasound treatment is used to:

• relieve pain and inflammation
• speed healing
• reduce muscle spasms
• increase range of motion

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves. The sound

waves vibrate tissues deep inside the injured area. This
creates heat that draws more blood into the tissues. The
tissues then respond to healing nutrients brought in by the
blood and the repair process begins.
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 Lithotripsy
LITHO = Stone , TRIP = To Break
Lithotripsy (also called ESWL- Extra-Corporeal Shock Wave
Lithotripsy) is a method is breaking up kidney stones in the kidneys
or tract ,using ultasound shock waves.

A kidney stone(2cm diameter)

A Lithotripter machine
formed from build up of calcium
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 Lithotripsy - Advantages
Lithotripsy was developed in the early 1980s. Before this, surgery was the
usual treatment. It is estimated that more than one million patients are
treated annually in the USA alone.

VIRTUALLY NO PAIN!
NO ANESTHESIA!
NO SURGERY!
NO HOSPITAL STAY
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Some Other Ultrasound Treatments
 Treating benign and malignant tumors and
other disorders, via a process known as
Focused Ultrasound Surgery (FUS)
 Ultrasound sources may be used to clean
teeth in dental hygiene
 Focused ultrasound sources may be used for
cataract treatment
 Low intensity pulsed ultrasound is used for
therapeutic tooth and bone regeneration.
 As a guidance tool for ‘key hole surgery’
 Detecting prostate cancer early

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Possible Dangers of Ultrasound
There have been many concerns about the safety of ultrasound.
Because ultrasound is energy there may be some side effects,
particularly due to high doses or many scans.
There have been some reports of low birthweight babies being born to
mothers who had frequent ultrasound examinations during pregnancy

The two problems with ultrasound are :

The development of heat - tissues or water absorb the ultrasound
energy which increases their temperature locally

The formation of bubbles when dissolved gases within the body come
out of solution due to local heat caused by ultrasound.

However, there have been no substantiated ill-effects of ultrasound

documented in studies in either humans or animals.
This being said, ultrasound should still be used only when necessary
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The Future of Ultrasound
Ultrasound machines will
most likely get smaller,
producing even higher
resolution images. One
new area of research is
the development of a
machine with a ‘heads up
real time’ display that
will allow a doctor to
"see" inside you as
he/she is performing a
procedure
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