Mexico City. Ultrasound, also called sonography, is a non-invasive medical study that helps doctors diagnose and treat various medical conditions. It uses sound waves to produce images of internal body structures. It is considered a safe, non-invasive diagnostic method that offers effective results when used by a qualified operator.
Ultrasound makes it possible to reproduce images in real time, which allows showing the structure and movement of the internal organs of the body, as well as the flow of blood through the blood vessels, becoming one of the most versatile diagnostic methods in the world.
Given the importance of its application, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM, for its acronym in English) leads a campaign called Ultrasound First (ultrasound first), whose purpose is to create awareness among health professionals regarding the use of ultrasound as the first diagnostic tool.
For Dr. Jorge Estrada, president of the Mexican Federation of Associations and Colleges in Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, doctors must give their best effort to comply with patients, this not only implies providing medical care, but they must also be at the vanguard in the use of equipment that generates an accurate diagnosis.
“We cannot conceive a medicine without an ultrasound team accompanying you. I am talking regarding the general practitioner, the specialist and even the obstetrician-gynecologist. I include traumatology, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine. Although the medical team does not replace the doctor, it is effectively accompanying him”.
Likewise, Dr. Alberto Sosa Olavarría, Surgeon, Specialist in Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, points out that in the practice of current medicine, ultrasound is a complementary tool in the diagnosis and therapy of various areas of medical knowledge; Therefore, the doctor who uses it as an aid or complement in the evaluation of his patient must be permanently acquiring knowledge in order to obtain the best performance, the greatest effectiveness of said tool to have optimal results, and better benefits for the patient. .
Both specialists have been invited by the Mexican company Ocean Medic to participate in the webinar The importance of professionalization in the practice of ultrasound on June 29. The doctors agree in pointing out that if the indications of the procedure are not known, and if the correlative of the images in the different pathologies is not known, extremely serious errors can be made, diagnostic errors.
Dr. Sosa Olavarría points out that adaptability to technological advances must be a general condition for doctors who work with ultrasound. “When we started doing ultrasonographic studies in the 1980s, our equipment did not have the capacity or image resolution that we currently have. On the other hand, variants of ultrasound were appearing and the incorporation of different software aimed at facilitating data processing and obtaining images, not only in the field of two-dimensionality, for example, but also in the field of three-dimensionality. And today we talk regarding other dimensions, such as 4D and 5D”.
As an example, we can cite the use of ultrasonography in the field of embryo-fetopathology, which allows knowing human growth and development from the beginning of pregnancy. From very early stages, in a pregnancy between the 4th and 5th weeks, follow the evolution of the embryo throughout life; establish their growth and development parameters from the biometric point of view, establish their weight, their height and also diagnose growth and development alterations, when growth is accelerated or retarded. As well as diagnosing a large number of congenital malformations, which doctors in the maternal-fetal area can address and guide when fetal health is compromised.
“If one is not prepared to know all the elements of the physiology and pathophysiology of these nosological entities, we can make very serious mistakes that can lead to disastrous consequences, both for the mother and for the fetus,” says the specialist.
Both specialists will participate in the 3.er webinar organized by Ocean Medic The importance of professionalization in the practice of ultrasound, next Wednesday, June 29, through the platform http.vinnomexico.mx/webinar/ultrasonografistas.