Ian Donald was born on 27th December 1910 in Cornwall Scotland; he is celebrated for his invention of diagnostic ultrasound (Ian Donald History, 2014).
The use of ultrasound dates back to 1929 when the technology was applied in detecting the defects in metal constructions, but it was until 1956 that the ultrasound was introduced to diagnostic medicine by Ian Donald. Diagnostic ultrasound or diagnostic medical sonography is a medical imaging technique of examining the internal body structures and organs. Commonly examined structures, and organs include arteries, veins, pelvis, abdomen, and pregnant uterus and its gestation. Sonography uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the structures or organs. Images produced from ultrasound contain vital diagnostic information that is useful in determining treatment and care methods for the patients. When ultrasound is used in heart diagnosis, it is referred to as echocardiogram (Iinuma, 2008).
Most people are familiar with the use of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. Apart from monitoring of abnormalities and the wellbeing of the baby; diagnostic ultrasound is an invaluable tool when diagnosing other medical conditions. Diagnostic ultrasound is used to diagnose diseases of the urinary bladder, kidney, prostate and scrotum. The technique is also used to monitor blood flow and identify any blockage. Ultrasound further helps in the diagnosis of vascular aneurysm and investigation on jaundice. The technique has also been applied in determining causes and diagnosis for abnormalities of the liver, gallbladder and lymph nodes. Other abnormalities that are diagnosed using ultrasound include those of the breast, thyroid glands, ovaries, testicles and fertility. Ultrasound has aided in the diagnosis of some forms cancer, studying of the heart, evaluation of abnormalities of muscles and tendons and diagnosis of some form of infections (Coombs, 2010).
Ultrasound does not use radiation and may be a safer option during pregnancy. The technique is safe and does not have any reported cases of side effects or complications. However, the technology is limited by the fact that sound does not effectively travel through air or bones. The technique, therefore, is not recommended for imaging body parts such as the intestines and bones. Instead of using ultrasound to view such body parts, the physician may opt for X- rays, MRI scans or the CT scans. Most of the ultrasounds are performed externally however; sometimes a diagnosis may require invasive ultrasound. Invasive ultrasound is mostly used in the pelvic diagnosis; the three types of pelvic ultrasound include transabdominal ultrasound, transvaginal or endovaginal ultrasound and trasrectal ultrasound. Ultrasound is performed by a sonographer in a health facility and is usually a painless procedure that lasts between thirty minutes to an hour (Iinuma, 2008).
Ultrasound like many electronic devices has experience technological change and improvement. Today there are a variety of ultrasound devices, some so small that one can easily carry around. Current ultrasounds have color Doppler, power Doppler, and the images are clearer and produced in 3D. Donald revolutionized diagnostic medicine with his invention. Ultrasound has become a valuable tool that medicine can never be the same without (Nakajima, 2013).
References
Coombs, P. (2010). Guidelines for the safe use of diagnostic ultrasound equipment. Ultrasound, 18(2), 52-59.
History. (n.d.). Ian Donald. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.iandonald.org/lang/en/hakkinda/tarihce
Iinuma, K. (2008). The Sprit of Invention. (26). Development Story Electronic Scanning Ultrasound Diagnostic Systems.. The Journal of The Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers, 52(5), 658-661.
Nakajima, O. (2013). Ultrasound Diagnostic Apparatus And Method For Displaying Ultrasound Image. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(4), 3113.
