Ultrasound diagnostics:
With a lot of time and attention to detail
Our specialties
In addition, we offer so-called duplex sonography, a method
for measuring blood flow velocity in a vessel using ultrasound.
This technique uses the Doppler effect to determine and visualize the direction and velocity of blood flow. Flow towards the transducer typically appears red, while flow away from the transducer appears blue. This is why it's also called color Doppler.
Cost:
EUR 190 per first body region (e.g., abdomen, or baby hips). Each additional region: EUR 90
Introduction
Ultrasound examinations use harmless sound waves to make the inside of the body visible. As radiologists, we use the method frequently and in a variety of ways, for example to examine organs such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys, blood vessels or joints.
The term ultrasound actually comes from physics. It refers to sound waves whose frequency is above the human hearing range and which the human ear can no longer perceive. In medicine, an imaging procedure has been developed from this, which is often colloquially called "ultrasound". Other terms for the examination are sonography or echography.
Ultrasound examinations pose little risk when used correctly.
Sequence
You don't usually need to prepare for an ultrasound examination. However, if you do, we will inform you beforehand. For example, to ensure a clear view of the bladder, it's helpful if it's slightly full. Therefore, you will be asked not to go to the toilet immediately before the examination. If the gallbladder is being examined, you will need to arrive for an abdominal ultrasound on an empty stomach.
For the examination, you usually lie on your back on an examination table. Depending on which region is being examined, you sometimes have to assume specific positions – for example, turning onto your side so that the spleen or kidneys can be examined properly. For an examination of the neck, a small pillow or rolled-up towel is placed behind the neck to slightly tilt the head back.
We first apply a gel to the ultrasound probe or the area of the body to be examined. The gel ensures that the ultrasound probe makes good contact with the skin. Then we press the probe onto the skin and move it back and forth. This is usually painless, but may feel slightly uncomfortable in some cases.
Our patients receive their ultrasound images and findings online via a secure cloud system.
Baby hip ultrasound
At birth, hip development is not yet complete. Approximately four percent of newborns may be affected by a hip maturation disorder, in which the hip socket is too small and does not adequately cover the femoral head. The position of the hip joint can also occasionally cause problems. A distinction is made between hip dysplasia (an immaturity in which the hip socket is insufficiently developed) and hip dislocation (a dislocation in which the femoral head is not properly seated in the socket). To prevent long-term consequences, in Austria, infants' hips are routinely examined for possible malformations by radiologists using ultrasound. The Austrian mother-child health record (Mutter-Kind-Pass) stipulates an examination in the first week of life and a follow-up examination at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
