Parts of an Ultrasound Machine

An ultrasound machine uses high frequency sound waves and their echoes to help determine the size, shape and depth of an abnormality. It allow various organs in the body to be examined right in the doctor's office or clinic. In a typical ultrasound, millions of pulses and echoes are sent and received from the probe each second.

A basic ultrasound machine has the following parts:

• Transducer probe - The probe is the mouth and ears of the ultrasound machine.  In the probe, there are one or more quartz crystals called piezoelectric crystals. When an electric current is applied to these crystals, they change shape rapidly. The rapid shape changes, or vibrations, of the crystals produce sound waves that travel outward. The sound waves travel into the patient being scanned. The sound waves bounce back at various intervals depending on the type of material they pass through.
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) - The CPU is the brain of an ultrasound machine. The CPU is a computer that contains the microprocessor, memory, amplifiers and power supplies for the microprocessor and transducer probe. The transducer receives electrical currents from the CPU and sends electrical pulses that are created by returning echoes.
• Transducer pulse controls - The operator, called the ultrasonographer, changes the amplitude, frequency and duration of the pulses emitted from the transducer probe
• Display - Displays the image from the ultrasound data processed by the CPU. This image can be either in black-and-white or color, depending upon the model of the ultrasound machine
• Keyboard/cursor - Ultrasound machines have a keyboard and a cursor. The keyboard allows the operator to add notes and to take measurements of the image.
• Disk storage device - The processed data and/or images can be stored on disks (hard disks, floppy disks, CD, or DVD). They can also be stored digitally so they can be accessed from the office or anywhere you have an Internet connection.
• Printer - Most ultrasound machines have thermal printers. These can be used to capture a printed picture of the image from the monitor.

Depending on the make and model of the ultrasound, there may be additional parts or options. Some suppliers offer options, like an endovaginal and endorectal transducers, that offer higher resolution than that of a traditional abdominal transducer. More features have been added to smaller, portable ultrasound machines, making them a versatile, powerful, lower-cost alternative for many doctors and clinics.