Sound waves, Piezoelectricity, and a Career in Sonography
Sonography was first introduced as a medical diagnostic procedure in the late 1940s by Dr. Ludwig in the United States. Over the years, it has been developed and modified into an advanced piece of technology, able to create images of structures inside the human body without resorting to invasive surgery. Today, sonography is able to create three-dimensional images of organs and even the blood flow in vessels all over the body. But what makes sonography able to perform these acts? How does a person start a career in sonography?
Sound Waves
The concept used in sonography is entirely based on something as simple as sound waves. By theory, sound waves can travel through air and liquid before rebounding off a solid structure, such as organs and bones. To a certain degree, sound waves are able to penetrate layers of tissue, but rebound at a certain depth. When these sound waves are sent from the machine and return at different intervals, it creates an image that is processed by the sonogram and analyzed by the sonographer.
The Piezoelectric Effect
But where do the sound waves come from? The sound waves are created by rapidly vibrating crystals, through the Piezoelectric effect. This effect was discovered by Jacques and Pierre Curie in 1880. Earlier in the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus and Franz Aepinus theorized the pyroelectric effect, where the application of heat could generate electric potential. The Curie brothers built upon this theory with their knowledge of crystal structures and their behavior, leading to the first demonstration of the piezoelectric effect (read about wave properties here).
Sound Waves
The concept used in sonography is entirely based on something as simple as sound waves. By theory, sound waves can travel through air and liquid before rebounding off a solid structure, such as organs and bones. To a certain degree, sound waves are able to penetrate layers of tissue, but rebound at a certain depth. When these sound waves are sent from the machine and return at different intervals, it creates an image that is processed by the sonogram and analyzed by the sonographer.
The Piezoelectric Effect
But where do the sound waves come from? The sound waves are created by rapidly vibrating crystals, through the Piezoelectric effect. This effect was discovered by Jacques and Pierre Curie in 1880. Earlier in the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus and Franz Aepinus theorized the pyroelectric effect, where the application of heat could generate electric potential. The Curie brothers built upon this theory with their knowledge of crystal structures and their behavior, leading to the first demonstration of the piezoelectric effect (read about wave properties here).
Piezoelectricity, by definition, is the accumulation of electric charge in solid materials such as crystals, when mechanical stress is applied. In sonography, the converse of this theory is applied. An alternating current is applied to very thin sheets of quartz in the transducer, which make the crystals grow and shrink (depending on the voltage). They vibrate at a very high speed creating the sound waves which are sent through the body. Find out more about sound waves through this link.
A Career in Sonography
Sonography in the United States is one of the most popular medical careers to date. It has an extremely fast predicted growth rate of 46 percent (between 2010 and 2020) and a high-paying salary of mid-60,000 dollars annually. Maneuvering the transducer and analyzing the images from the sonogram is highly technical, so training can be long difficult. Still, this career remains on top of other similar medical technology careers. If you want to train or study sonography, there are many scholarships for ultrasound students all over the country.
Grants, student loans, and scholarships for diagnostic medical sonography students are typically available in most college and universities, as well as sonography-based organizations like the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS) and companies like General Electric (GE). You can visit your local community college or search the internet for schools, organizations, and companies near you that offer them. Learning about the concepts in sonography and how to start a career in it is made more accessible today because of these opportunities available all over the United States.
A Career in Sonography
Sonography in the United States is one of the most popular medical careers to date. It has an extremely fast predicted growth rate of 46 percent (between 2010 and 2020) and a high-paying salary of mid-60,000 dollars annually. Maneuvering the transducer and analyzing the images from the sonogram is highly technical, so training can be long difficult. Still, this career remains on top of other similar medical technology careers. If you want to train or study sonography, there are many scholarships for ultrasound students all over the country.
Grants, student loans, and scholarships for diagnostic medical sonography students are typically available in most college and universities, as well as sonography-based organizations like the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS) and companies like General Electric (GE). You can visit your local community college or search the internet for schools, organizations, and companies near you that offer them. Learning about the concepts in sonography and how to start a career in it is made more accessible today because of these opportunities available all over the United States.