What is Ultrasound?

With an Ultrasound examination or Sonar, we use high-frequency sound waves (un-audible to the human ear) to produce images of the tissue inside your body. These images are captured and then displayed on a screen.

A small, handheld probe is used to receive the image by guiding it over the surface of your body. The returning sound waves then reflect back to the probe, with the use of calculations the ultrasound machine produce an images which are displayed in real-time on the monitor.

It is a safe, reliable, painless, and radiation-free examination. Different probes are used to ensure the best imaging for the body organ or structure being evaluated. It is often used as a first-line investigation or screening examination.

Ultrasound waves cannot penetrate gas and bone. As such, ultrasound cannot be used to look deeply into large joints, the lungs, or gas-containing stomach or bowel loops.

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Booking your Ultrasound

You or your doctor can call us on 016 100 6930/1 to make an appointment. An appointment time will be given to you.

If possible a same-day appointment will be given to you. Except if preparation for the examination is needed.

Please remember to bring your medical aid card together with the request form from your referring doctor.

Preparing for your Ultrasound

Previous imaging, not done at Richelle Willemse Diagnostic Ultrasound, must be brought with you to the appointment.

The examination takes approximately 30 minutes.

An Ultrasound Scan may require some preparation before the scan; you will be informed of this when making your booking e.g.: For an Upper Abdomen Scan, do not eat or drink 6 to 8 hours before the scan (water allowed). Chronic medication may be taken with only water.

For a Pelvis, Bladder, or Kidney ultrasound, your bladder must be full. This may require you to drink 3 glasses of water an hour before the scan. DO NOT go to the toilet before the scan. Please inform Reception if you do need to go to the toilet.

For pregnancy ultrasound, we only require a full bladder in the 1st trimester (before 12weeks). Please drink 3 glasses of water an hour before the scan.

Transvaginal ultrasound: The transducer is inserted into a woman’s vagina to view the uterus and ovaries. This may produce minimal discomfort.

For MSK (shoulder, ankle, elbow, wrist, knee), Breast, thyroid ultrasound, etc. no preparation is required.

Emergency ultrasounds, e.g. kidney stones, aortic aneurysms, deep vein thrombosis, and ectopic pregnancies, will be done as quickly as possible. You are not required to fast for the examination, but you should not eat or drink anything without authorization from your doctor or specialist.

What to expect during your Ultrasound

After an ultrasound examination, you should be able to resume your normal activities immediately.

You will be asked to lie on an examination bed. Some examinations are also performed seated.

For most examinations, you will not be required to change into a “hospital gown”.

The examination will be performed by me, Richelle Willemse. I am a Medical Diagnostic Sonographer, not a doctor. I will then communicate the results to you and your referring doctor via a medical report.

With examinations of the limbs, you will be required to move the area being scanned into different positions.

A device, known as a probe, will be used to do the sonar. A small amount of ultrasound gel will be applied to your skin in the area that is going to be scanned.

You could be asked to hold your breath during the scan and to roll onto your side.

A Doppler study is an extension of the ultrasound scan that assesses blood flow in blood vessels and tissue. This examination will produce a noise that will help in assessing the blood flow in the blood vessels in your neck, abdomen, arms, or legs.

You will receive a typed medical report with the results of your examination within 30min of your examination.

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