Ultrasonic imaging is used widely for observing muscles and tissues beneath the human skin without physically breaking the skin barrier. Being non-invasive (Pinnacle Health, n.d.), it is suitable to be utilized by healthcare professionals as part of the entire suite of procedures for investigating aliments, ensuring there are no health problems, or to monitor the progress of recovery.
A specific application of ultrasonic imaging is the Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE). Echocardiogram is an imaging procedure that examines the heart specifically, to detect abnormalities like improper closure of the valves. While there are numerous examples of echocardiogram, TTE is the one patients frequently undergo (NIH, 2011), to investigate symptoms like chest pains, or to ensure that they are in good health.
The basis of ultrasonic imaging is, fundamentally, the first conceptualization of the idea of how humans hear, where sound travels in waves and is transmitted through mediums (Woo, J., n.d.). Building on this concept, there was greater understanding of ultrasound and a definition of ultrasound arose, defining ultrasound to be the the frequencies that occupy a band that is above the hearing range of human beings (Nave, C., 2012). Building on the concept of a sound wave that is of an extremely high frequency, and that objects reflect sound
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Further improvements in its sensitivity, and size were made, and adapted from the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology to Cardiology, to be used in echocardiography. Such a development allowed for improved methods of understanding the heart condition of patients and allowed the quality of cardiac healthcare to be increased since aliments of the heart might be determined without resorting to surgery or using harmful chemicals, even though it is in low