columnist/ob-gyn
APRIL, 2018 | The HEALTH
17
123RF
The value of
ultrasound in
pregnancy
What is ultrasound? Is it safe to use in pregnancy?
Ultrasound is a high frequency
sound which is beyond the hearing
range of humans. It uses frequen-
cies in a pulsed fashion from the
probe, which is applied on to the
abdomen or into the vagina to
produce the image.
The frequency of the sound
wave varies with the probe used
– transvaginal ultrasound has a
higher frequency than the trans-
abdominal one.
For optimum imaging, a gel has
to be applied to the scanned area.
The image is then visualised on
a screen in black and white with
varying shades of grey. 3D imag-
ing utilises 2D imaging in three
planes, and there is an artificially
coloured image which is a recon-
structed image of the volume of