Specialty Areas
Diagnostic medical sonographers may specialize in obstetric and
gynecologic sonography (the female reproductive system), abdominal
sonography (the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas),
neurosonography (the brain), or breast sonography. In addition,
sonographers may specialize in vascular sonography or cardiac sonography.
(Vascular sonographers and cardiac sonographers are covered in
cardiovascular technologists and
technicians.)
 Obstetric
and Gynecologic Sonographer
Obstetric
and gynecologic sonographers specialize in the imaging of the female
reproductive system. Included in the discipline is one of the more
well-known uses of sonography: examining the fetus of a pregnant woman
to track the baby's growth and health.
Abdominal
Sonographer
Abdominal
sonographers inspect a patient's abdominal cavity to help diagnose and
treat conditions primarily involving the gallbladder, bile ducts,
kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, and male reproductive system.
Abdominal sonographers also are able to scan parts of the chest,
although studies of the heart using sonography usually are done by
echocardiographers.
Neurosonographer
Neurosonographers
focus on the nervous system, including the brain. In neonatal care,
neurosonographers study and diagnose neurological and nervous system
disorders in premature infants. They also may scan blood vessels to
check for abnormalities indicating a stroke in infants diagnosed with
sickle-cell anemia. Like other sonographers, neurosonographers operate
transducers to perform the sonogram, but use frequencies and beam shapes
different from those used by obstetric and abdominal sonographers.
Breast
Sonographer
Breast
sonographers use sonography to study diseases of the breasts. Sonography
aids mammography in the detection of breast cancer. Breast sonography
can also track tumors, blood supply conditions, and assist in the
accurate biopsy of breast tissue. Breast sonographers use high-frequency
transducers, made exclusively to study breast tissue.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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