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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffDiagnostic ultrasound is a safe procedure that uses low-power sound waves. There are no direct risks from a diagnostic ultrasound exam. Rarely, higher power sound waves can be used for treatment purposes to heat and even destroy some types of tissue or tumors.
Although ultrasound is a valuable tool, it does have its limitations. Sound doesn't travel well through air or bone, so ultrasound isn't effective at imaging parts of your body that have gas in them or that are obscured by bone. Rather than using ultrasound to view these areas, your doctor may instead order other imaging tests, such as CT or MRI scans, or X-rays.
- Taking a close look at ultrasound. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM095487.pdf. Accessed Nov. 7, 2009.
- General ultrasound imaging. Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=genus. Accessed Nov. 7, 2009.
- Important questions to ask about the quality of your imaging examination. American College of Radiology. http://www.acr.org/MainMenuCategories/PatientInfo/ImportantQuestions.aspx. Accessed Nov. 7, 2009.
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