Sonography/Ultrasound in Germantown & Silver Spring, MD
Sonography in our Office
Having a professional and licensed sonographer on site in our office allows us to evaluate and treat common female problems such as:
- Obstetrical Evaluation
- GYN Evaluation
- Pain
- Fibroids
- Ovarian cysts
- Abnormal bleeding
- Sonohystergraphy -To evaluate irregular menopausal bleeding
We utilize the latest,high definition ultrasound technology, along with 3-D capability and a large screen monitor for you to view the findings as they are being evaluated.
How Ultrasound Imaging Works
Ultrasound, also called sonography, uses sound waves to develop images of what’s going on inside the body.
- An instrument called a transducer emits high-frequency sound, inaudible to human ears, and then records the echoes as the sound waves bounce back to determine the size, shape, and consistency of soft tissues and organs.
- This information is relayed to produce images on a computer screen.
- Ultrasound technicians, or sonographers, have special training in how to perform the test.
Uses of Ultrasound Tests
Ultrasound imaging has many uses in medicine, from confirming and dating a pregnancy to diagnosing certain conditions and guiding doctors through precise medical procedures.
As an Obstetric patient, a sonogram can be performed in our office at the time of your regularly scheduled appointment so the doctors can go over the results with you immediately
- Pregnancy. Ultrasound images have many uses during pregnancy. Early on, they may be used to
- determine due dates
- reveal the presence of twins or other multiples
- rule out ectopic pregnancies.
- They also are valuable screening tools in helping to detect potential problems, including
- Monitoring the growth of your baby
- Birth defects and placental issues
- Evaluating anatomical structures
- Breech positioning, and others.
- Many expectant parents look forward to learning the gender of their babies via ultrasound midway through a pregnancy.
As a Gynecology patient, a sonogram can be performed in our office at the time of your appointment to assist the doctors in making a diagnosis. The doctors can go over the results with you immediately.
- GYN Diagnostics. Doctors employ ultrasound imaging in diagnosing a wide variety of conditions affecting the organs and soft tissues of the body, including the uterus and ovaries, such a:
- Pain
- Fibroids
- Ovarian cysts
- Irregular bleeding
- Possible endometriosis
- Ultrasounds do have some diagnostic limitations, however; sound waves do not transmit well through dense bone or parts of the body that may hold air or gas, such as the bowel.
Types of Ultrasound in OB GYN
Most ultrasounds are done using a transducer on the surface of the skin. Sometimes, however, doctors and technicians can get a better diagnostic image by inserting a special transducer into the vagina:
- In a transvaginal ultrasound, a transducer wand is placed in a woman’s vagina to get images of her uterus and ovaries.
- Additionally, ultrasound technology has advanced to allow for different types of imaging:
- Doppler is a special type of ultrasound that creates images of blood flow through vessels.
- 3 D adds another to the ultrasound image, creating three-dimensional interpretations rather than the flat two-dimensional images that are made with traditional ultrasound.
- 4D ultrasounds show 3D images in motion.
Benefits of Ultrasound
Ultrasounds offer many advantages:
- They are generally painless and do not require needles, injections, or incisions.
- Patients aren’t exposed to ionizing radiation, making the procedure safer than diagnostic techniques such as X-rays and CT scans. In fact, there are no known harmful effects when used as directed by your health care provider.
- Ultrasound captures images of soft tissues that don’t show up well on X-rays.
An Ultrasound For Gender Determination
The Ultrasound to view all the skeletal and anatomical structure of your baby is usually done at 20 weeks.
If the baby cooperates by being in the correct position to view the genitals, the sonographer can see the gender of your baby.
If you cannot wait until 20 weeks (because you just want to know !) you can choose to have an earlier ultrasound, between 15 and 16 weeks, to find out the gender.
- Insurance will not pay for this sonogram.
- We can attempt to determine gender for a small, courtesy fee of $60.00.
- Again, not all babies will cooperate, depending on angle of his or her movements.
- We request that you schedule this in advance so it can be conveniently done at your appointment.
Is there another opportunity to see my baby?
Your 20 week ultrasound exam is the best time to view all of the anatomy of the baby.
- We look at the face, brain, heart, all internal organs and the skeletal system, etc.
- Depending on the baby’s position, we may or may not be able to see the gender of your baby. . . Not all babies cooperate during the exam, so we cannot promise we will be able to see the anatomy clearly at any sonogram.
Just a reminder: At your regularly scheduled 20 week sonogram, please be sure to tell the sonographer before the scan if you do not want to know the gender of your baby.