Doctors suggest a medical scan whenever they suspect any disease or internal injury. One of the popular and highly recommended medical imaging processes is x-ray scans and ultrasounds. Though they serve almost similar purposes, there are a few factors that create a difference between them.
A brief overview of x-rays and ultrasound
Nowadays, doctors and medical examiners use x-rays and ultrasound scans for medical and scientific applications. Likewise, to know about them in a better way, let us define them separately. Moreover, if you are confused between the two, it will help you develop a better understanding.
X-rays: X-rays use transverse electromagnetic waves to diagnose structural changes inside the body. These waves send a small amount of radiation through different body parts and organs and capture images of the bones and dense tissues.
Ultrasound: Ultrasound, also known as sonography, is a medical scanning process that uses high sound frequency waves to detect abnormalities inside the body. Examiners can easily detect injuries that arise from soft tissues or muscles by using this particular scanning method.
Sounds confusing? Their individual benefits can help you make the actual decision. Keep reading without any breaks.
It is quite difficult to make the right choice when both scanning methods serve the same purpose. However, you can easily come to a conclusion when you understand the benefits and actual purposes of looking for an ultrasound scan or x-ray lab near me.
Benefits of medical ultrasound scan
Check out the enticing benefits of medical ultrasound scans for which doctors suggest this test.
- Painless scanning method: The ultrasound medical scanning process is extremely painless as it purely depends on a gel and transducer. Since there is no requirement for needles, cuts, or shots, patients find it extremely pain-free. It takes hardly 30 minutes to get the scan completely done.
- Risk-free method: The best thing about ultrasound is it doesn’t use any amount of radiation. Instead, it prefers high-frequency sound waves that create echoes when hitting any object. Moreover, the sound it produces is so high that it can be heard easily by a human ear. This echoed signal gets reflected on the computer screen. Therefore, there is no risk sign when performing an ultrasound scan.
- Deliver accurate report: Ultrasound scans always give you an accurate report of the soft tissues that you won’t find in x-rays. Therefore, this helps doctors choose the right treatment method and ensure a speedy recovery for patients. Hence, following your doctor’s recommendation is important if you want to secure your health.
Benefits of x-ray scan
Check out a few reasons why you must look for “x-ray centers near me” results.
- Non-invasive: X-rays are always non-invasive. Whenever a patient requires an x-ray for a specific part of the body, he or she is asked to take their position on the x-ray table. Moreover, it is not necessary that the patient is always asked to lie down. The position depends upon the body section that needs to be x-rayed.
A patient needs to adjust between an x-ray machine and a cassette that holds an x-ray film. The overall process requires a small amount of radiation to view the internal structures of the body organs. And there is no sign of invasiveness while performing the x-ray scan. This is a prime reason to rely on x-rays rather than other medical imaging procedures that involve a physical examination.
- Excellent guidance: X-ray reports are excellent for guiding doctors or medical specialists. Suppose a doctor or a surgeon inserts a catheter, stents, or other medical devices inside a patient’s body. These reports guide them on whether they are making a proper insertion and taking the right position. This is the reason why medical x-rays are preferred whenever a doctor suspects a tumour, blood clots, or other blockages.
- Unexpected findings: X-rays have the potential to detect health issues that no one can ever think of. Even if a doctor suspects any abnormalities in a patient’s health condition, they can’t be assured unless they get an authentic report. This is when patients search for “x-ray lab near me” and get an x-ray of their body organ. Such x-rays are helpful to determine infections in the bone, fluid or gas trapped in body areas, etc.
