Ultrasound comparison
To demonstrate how an ultrasound works, imagine this tennis ball as an internal organ in the body. Like many organs, the tennis ball is solid on the outside and hollow on the inside. Solid structures, such as bones and muscles, reflect sound waves from the ultrasound transducer and show up as white in an ultrasound image. Soft or hollow areas, like chambers of the heart, do not reflect sound waves and appear as black. The white ring is the outer edge of the tennis ball being reflected back as an image while the center hollow area remains as black.
Review Date:
10/24/2006
Reviewed By:
Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-
A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
