Ultrasound imaging, used for a wide variety of health issues, involves exposing part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body.
“Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions,” said Sue Gonzales, Supervisor of Saint Anthony’s Ultrasound. “Ultrasound examinations can help to diagnose a variety of conditions and to assess organ damage following illness. It is used to help physicians evaluate symptoms such as pain, swelling and infection, and is also a useful way of examining many of the body's internal organs.”
Some of the organs examined through an ultrasound include:
heart and blood vessels, including the abdominal aorta
liver
gallbladder
spleen
pancreas
kidneys
bladder
uterus, ovaries, and fetus in pregnant patients
thyroid and parathyroid glands
“While the main benefit to an ultrasound is the fact that it is a noninvasive and painless procedure, there are many more,” said Sue. “Ultrasounds are widely available, easy to use, use no ionizing radiation and give a clear picture of soft tissues. Ultrasound provides real-time imaging, making it a good tool for guiding minimally invasive procedures, such as needle biopsies and needle aspiration, and they can show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs, as well as blood flowing through blood vessels.”
As a full service acute care health system, Saint Anthony's Health Center offers a full variety of medical imaging services. In addition to Ultrasound, Saint Anthony’s Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging services offers Nuclear Medicine, CT, MRI, Mammogram, PET, x-ray, stereotactic breast biopsies and Dexa scans.
Used to determine the location and specific type of different diseases, medical imaging services are also utilized in Saint Anthony’s Pain Management Center. The experienced technologists working in the imaging areas at Saint Anthony’s are dedicated to giving exceptional patient care every day, working closely with a team of board certified radiologists.
For more information on Saint Anthony's Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging services, please call 618/474-4606.
Saint Anthony's Health Center is a 229-bed health care organization with dual campuses-Saint Anthony’s Hospital and Saint Clare’s Hospital- encompassing specialized inpatient and outpatient services. With over 150 physicians on its Medical Staff, Saint Anthony's Health Center offers a free physician referral service for the community: 463-1234.