Sonograms Find The Darndest Things

It’s Friday and we thought it would be interesting to learn how sonograms are used to help solve unusual cases:

In 2006, a sonogram was used to uncover the route of pain between the back and upper abdomen of a patient. Upon reviewing the sonogram, the sonographer discovered the patient had swallowed a toothpick which launched into his liver. Upon a follow-up visit two years later, the toothpick still remained launched in the liver.
Read more…
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/112604374/ABSTRACT

Two women show signs of pregnancy, even though doctors cannot find a heartbeat. Sonograms are used to determine two sacs have indeed formed in the women, but upon further observation the sacs turn out are determined to be molar pregnancies: which according to St. Jude’s, is a “rare cancer in women of childbearing age in which cancer cells grow in the tissues that are formed in the uterus after conception.”
Read more…
http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/reprint/160/1/137.pdf

To learn more about unusual ultrasound features and how they helped with pancreatic pseudocysts findings, read more…
http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/reprint/130/2/265.pdf

While the above mentioned scenarios aren’t typical for the average sonographer, they do give you an idea of what you have to look forward to. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer, check out our webpage at http://iamp.edu/programs/diagnosticmedicalsonography/

Come back on Monday as we discuss entrance interviews.