Private Ultrasound scans at our Dublin, Galway & Limerick Clinics

An ultrasound scan is a safe and painless test that uses sound waves to create multi-dimensional images of the inside of your body to give medical staff a clearer picture. Ultrasound services provide a range of medical imaging techniques for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases and disorders. It is used to aid in the diagnosis of numerous medical conditions, from minor illnesses to more serious conditions. 

Why you might need an Ultrasound Scan

You probably already know that ultrasounds are often used during pregnancy to check on the baby's health. But there are many other reasons you might need the assistance of ultrasound technology for examining a range of health conditions, such as:

• Examining your organs, like your liver, kidneys, or gallbladder.
• Check for any blockages or blood clots in your blood vessels.
• Investigating the cause of pain or swelling in your joints or muscles.
• Guiding a doctor during certain medical procedures, like biopsies. 

In some cases, your doctor may recommend a specialist ultrasound scan for the relevant body area imaging, such as a transvaginal, transoesophageal, or transrectal ultrasound. These scans involve using a small ultrasound probe that is gently inserted into the body to get a closer look at specific areas. 

Ultrasound can also be used in guided interventional procedures. This technique uses ultrasound imaging during medical procedures to ensure accuracy and safety. During this type of ultrasound, your doctor will use the real-time ultrasound images to guide them as they perform a procedure, such as inserting a needle for a biopsy, draining fluid from a cyst, or treating a specific area with targeted therapy.

Ultrasound Scan at Blackrock Health Clinics

At Blackrock Health, we understand that waiting for diagnostic results can be stressful. That's why we offer fast access to our state-of-the-art facilities in Blackrock, Galway, Hermitage and Limerick. Across our three hospitals and our diagnostic clinic, we are committed to ongoing investment in imaging and lab tests. By offering some of the most advanced imaging and diagnostic technology, we aim to provide accurate and timely diagnoses. Our team of experts has the capacity and expertise to perform, analyse, and report results for a wide range of tests. This ensures that you can receive the highest possible standards of care and support. Whether you need routine tests or more urgent imaging, we aim to give you the reassurance of a result with the least possible delay. 

Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging test that shows structures inside your body, by using high-intensity sound waves, rather than radiation. Healthcare providers use ultrasound exams for several purposes, including diagnosing conditions and for image guidance during certain procedures. 

It can also be used to guide the doctor to a specific internal structure for a particular treatment. Using ultrasound can help distinguish between benign and malignant growths by assessing size, shape, position and consistency. More information can also be obtained by removing (or aspirating) a small piece of tissue through a needle, the position of which is guided by the ultrasound. This test is known as a Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) or ultrasound-guided FNA.

Ultrasound imaging can also be called ultrasound scanning, or sonography, and involves sending very high-frequency sound waves through a particular part of the body. These sound waves are reflected off the internal organs. Fluid-filled structures, such as cysts or blood vessels, reflect very few sound waves or echoes, and show up black on a screen. In contrast, more solid structures show paler patterns, depending on their consistency.

The reflections are then processed by special instruments and powerful computers that subsequently measure and create a visual image of the organs. Ultrasound images are captured in real time and displayed on a television monitor.

What will happen during an ultrasound scan?

A diagnostic ultrasound examination is a painless, usually non-invasive, procedure. There are several methods of performing the examination depending on the part of the body being examined. 

 In most cases, no special preparation is needed before a routine ultrasound scan. We advise patients to wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothing.

If the doctor wants to check the liver or gallbladder, the patient may be asked to fast for several hours before the procedure.

For individuals undergoing a renal scan, the patient will be asked to drink plenty of water and avoid urinating several hours before the test.

If a pelvic scan is required, the bladder will need to be full, the patient will be asked to drink 1.5 litres of water 1 hour before their appointment. This will displace nearby loops of the intestine and the scan produces a better image of the uterus and ovaries.

When you arrive for a scan, you may be shown to a cubicle and asked to remove your outer clothing. Whether you have to undress will depend on the part of your body to be scanned. You will be taken into the scanning room and asked to lie on a couch next to the ultrasound machine. 

A clear, water-based ultrasound gel will be spread onto your skin over the scanning site. This helps to transmit the sound waves to the microphone in the transducer. The Sonographer will press the transducer onto your skin and move it back and forth over the part of your body that is being scanned. The scan will appear on the machine screen next to you. Many people are familiar with this test as it is similar to that used to check on a baby during pregnancy

Specialist Ultrasound Procedures

Below are some specialist ultrasound procedures carried out across Blackrock Health hospitals.

Some of our imaging services are only available in select locations. Please check with your preferred location to confirm that the service you seek is offered there.

• Ultrasound Abdomen
• Ultrasound Aorta
• Carotid Doppler
• Ultrasound Gynae – Transvaginal
• Ultrasound Pelvis
• Ultrasound Renal
• Ultrasound Soft Tissue
• Ultrasound Testes
• Ultrasound Thyroid / Small Parts
• Venous Incompetence
• Ultrasound Guided Joint Aspiration (removal of fluid)
• Ultrasound Guided Joint Injection (administering medication, such as steroids)
• Ultrasound Guided Biopsies, also known as Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)
• Ultrasound Guided Drainage
• Ultrasound Guided Aspiration

Who carries out these tests?

There are many members of the Ultrasound team. These include the Sonographer, also known as an Ultrasound Technician. This is a healthcare professional with specialised third-level training in operating the sophisticated equipment required for tests. The Radiologist is a fully trained doctor, who has undertaken higher specialised training in the interpretation of images obtained from these diagnostic tests, to help make your diagnosis, and in some cases undertake treatment.

When will I find out the ultrasound results?

The sonographer will analyse the images and send a preliminary scan to the Radiologist, who will send a report to the referring doctor. 

Are ultrasound scans dangerous?

Ultrasound is generally considered a ‘safe’ imaging modality. Medical research has found no side effects. Even so, scanning should not be carried out without clear medical reasons and all ultrasound exposure should be justified and limited to the minimum needed to make a diagnosis.