What is 4D Ultrasound?
What is 4D Ultrasound?
A 4D ultrasound machine is more than just a "babyface" ultrasound image. In fact, it's currently used in diagnosis of cardiac, obstetric, vascular, and breast applications as well as many others.
It's most common and well-known use is in fetal imaging for obstetrics. With the used 4d ultrasound machine, expectant parents can be given a clearer visualization of the life they have created at a fraction of the cost. In this day of instant gratification, what parent wants to wait nine months to meet a new member of the family? Unlike the sketchy, blurry pictures of the past, a 4d ultrasound machine can be used to significantly enhance the viewing experience while still providing real-time animation of the fetus.
The 4d ultrasound machine typically utilizes a colored image rather than black and white, which provides any viewers with a more realistic portrait of the fetus. Similarly to a conventional ultrasound, the 4d ultrasound a
allows a viewer to watch the baby move.
In cardiac ultrasound, 4D cardiac is used for real-time imaging of the structures of the heart to help diagnose congenital heart disease. It can provide three different axis' concurrently as well as a composite view of the heart in real-time and provides physicians with an entirely new field of view that could not be obtained.
The key difference in the two technologies (cardiac vs obstetric, vascular, or small parts) is that the cardiac 4D imaging uses a digital probe with no moving parts. This allows for a high frame rate and near true real-time imaging of the heart. To date, this is only acheivable with a cardiac sector transducer because of its small footprint (head).
We Sonotech offer both types of 4D ultrasounds.