Updated August 27, 2007.

Definition: a hand-held device used to transmit and receive ultrasound (sound waves too high in pitch for humans to hear). In ultrasound medical imaging, sound waves are used to form images of soft tissues in the body. These sound waves are made with precise electronic timing circuits. Then the electrical waves go to a transducer that operates in the same way as a speaker in your car radio or stereo, changing the electrical power into sound power.

The transducer sends ultrasound waves into the body, which reflects some of them. The same transducer then acts like a microphone to receive the sound waves and transforms them back into electrical signals that are used to make the image.

Pronunciation: UL-tra-sound tranz-DOO-ser

Also Known As: ultrasound probe

Common Misspellings: transdusir, transduser

Examples:

Ultrasound transducers come in many different shapes, making them able to work with different parts of the body. Transducers intended for breast ultrasound exams are usually flat and disc-shaped, while those intended for gynecological exams are made to fit in the vaginal cavity. The sound waves do not carry enough energy to cause any harm. In fact, high-power ultrasound transducers are used in physical therapy to send heat deep within tissues without causing any side effects.