All About Medical Ultrasound

Here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we have three departments that provide medical, diagnostic ultrasound: Radiology, Cardiology, and a new Maternal Fetal Medicine department. 

In the Radiology Ultrasound Department, we scan blood vessels, muscles, organs, and lumps. We look at kidneys more than any other organ in our department. We work with the emergency room looking at the appendix, and we also work with different clinics to find tumors, and reasons for pain. In our department we have a lot of variety, and in a 24-hour time frame we will do more than 100 exams.  Because we do not use radiation, we are often called upon to try new things and see if we can answer a question about a diagnosis before other areas in radiology. 

Nationwide Children’s also has Pediatric Cardiology Ultrasound which looks at not only hearts of our kids, but prenatal hearts inside pregnant moms. They see our kids who have heart defects and heart disease, and they do fetal echo to help diagnose and treat complex heart problems. This department can see when the heart has a missing chamber, or has the major vessels are sitting in the chest differently, a defect in the heart valves, or a hole between the chambers of the heart. It is important to know about these things early so that parents know what to expect and can decide where they want to have their baby cared for as soon as they are born.  Knowing all this ahead of time helps keep anxiety manageable, too.

Maternal Fetal Medicine (obstetrical) Ultrasound is our newest department. When someone needs t get an ultrasound here, it is because there is a potential childbirth risk factor, and a need for a more detailed look at the baby. This department works with mothers whose babies may need surgery before they are born or treatment immediately after they are born. Having this department here at Nationwide Children’s eliminates travel time and allows for immediate care of the baby.

The most common questions we get from kids about ultrasound are:

Is the Gel Going to Be Cold?

We have it in warmers, but it is not allowed to be too warm, so people still will feel like it is cool or warm based on their perspective.

Can You See My Lunch (Or Can You See My Empty Belly)?

We can see that there is food in the belly if it is still in the stomach and we often try to guess what it may be. Chicken nuggets is a top answer!

What Is That Hole?

On ultrasound, any fluid is black on the screen and looks like a hole.  It is usually a blood vessel, or your bladder.

Will It Hurt?

Ultrasound does not hurt, but when you come to have something looked at that hurts, we must touch that area, so if touching hurts our test might also hurt. Babies and toddlers cry and resist during our tests either because they may be hungry, or not want to hold still, or just do not want to do the test that day. Just like when they need a bath or haircut, they will not always cooperate.  We do our best, and sometimes they settle or sometimes we just power through. We almost always get a smile in the end, after all the tears. 

What Do Those Colors Mean?

When we are looking at blood vessels, many kids watch what we do and see the colors that tell us there is a blood vessel in an area. The colors help us tell if a blood vessel is going into an organ or out of it, or going towards the heart or away from it. This is important information for the radiologist to know.

Ultrasound is popular in a children’s hospital because we do not use radiation, and typically it does not cause additional pain. We use sound waves, just like bats or dolphins, to see into the area we are investigating. Our machine listens to the sound waves and creates a picture for a doctor to look at. Sonographers work very closely with the doctors in their area to help make sure we have answered the questions with our images. Medical Ultrasound is a fascinating career, and kids make it even better. We enjoy trying to find out the answers to doctors’ questions, help kids feel better, and if we are lucky, we even get a hug.