Manual of Diagnostic Ultrasound

Book excerpt: Forlagets beskrivelse: The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes ultrasound as an important medical diagnostic imaging technology. Manuals on ultrasound have been published by WHO since 2001, with the purpose of guiding health professionals on the safe and effective use of ultrasound. Among the diagnostic imaging technologies, ultrasound is the safer and least expensive, and technological advances are making it more user friendly and portable. Ultrasound has many uses, both diagnostic and therapeutic. For the purposes of this manual, only diagnostic ultrasound will be considered and further analysed. Basic physics of ultrasonographic imaging was released in 2005; since then, WHO has addressed the physics, safe use and different applications of ultrasound as an important diagnostic imaging tool. Since it is a non ionizing radiation technology, along with nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, the risks inherent to its use are lower than those presented by other diagnostic imaging technologies using ionizing radiation, such as the radiological technologies (X-rays and computed tomography scanners).