Final answer:
Ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique that uses ultrasonic waves to non-invasively create images of internal body structures, widely used for monitoring various body conditions, including pregnancy. It relies on the reflection of sound waves from different tissue boundaries, but cannot penetrate bone or gas, and requires skillful operation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technique referred to in the question is known as ultrasonography. It is a medical imaging modality that employs the application of ultrasonic waves to visualize internal body structures, such as tendons, organs, and blood flow.
Employing an ultrasound probe, which contains multiple ultrasound sources, a directional beam of sound is broadcasted and swept across the area of interest.
The echoes produced by these sound waves, upon hitting different types of tissues and structures within the body, are measured in terms of position and depth. .
A computer then processes these echoes to construct an image that reveals the shape and density of the internal structures being examined. Ultrasonography is a commonly used, non-invasive, and safe method to study deep structures of the body.
Since ultrasonography is the least invasive imaging technique, it is widely used in sensitive situations, such as monitoring fetal growth and development during pregnancy.
While creating an image, each time the ultrasound wave encounters a boundary between different types of tissues, part of the wave is reflected back and part is transmitted further.
The reflected waves are detected to construct an image of the internal anatomy, making it possible to visualize soft tissue structures noninvasively.
Despite its broad applications, ultrasonography has certain limitations, such as its inability to penetrate bone and gas, and image quality being highly dependent on the operator.