What Does Ultrasound Gel Do?

You may have had an ultrasound before, and wondered what that gel does. Well, that weird alien goop has a purpose, and it has to do with being like our weird human skin.
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Sources:
General Ultrasound
teachersinstitu...
courses.washing...
www.physics.uto...
Ultrasound Gel
www.two-views.c...
healdove.com/h...
Acoustic Impedance
www.schoolphysi...
Images:
Sound Wave Diagram: commons.wikime...

[@HeyKevinYT]

I’m here because I’m studying wave physics (pre-quantum) and my textbook lists Ultrasound as an example. It says that maximum energy is transferred when impedances match (minimizing reflection). This video uses very precise vocabulary and I really appreciate that!

[@8happyperson]

lol i thought it was just to make it easier for the tool to move around

[@chiragmohanty1755]

Dumbfuck 🤣🤣

[@Khan_4T7]

😜

[@Master_Therion]

My friend was an ultrasound technician but had to find a new job when he went a little insane. Apparently you have to be of sound mind.

[@benschofield1361]

Master Therion are u gonna comment on every video?

[@Master_Therion]

Ben Schofield Not on every video. Just on every video YOU watch... I'll be there, like a thorn in your side or like a ghost, haunting your every move. muhaaaha ;)

[@mr.strange8225]

Master Therion hahaha

[@FlyingJetpack1]

The door is on the left.

[@slipknotboy555]

Master Therion I hope your fantastic puns become a regular thing in the Sci Show comments, kinda like Solid Banana's anus comments, heh

[@jakmar4138]

I had an ultrasound done on my neck because I had a strange bump about the size of a walnut just to the left of my throat that needed to be identified. I named it "Nick."

[@akkabouzz6472]

Over here in The Netherlands we call those ultrasound machines "Echo". For example if I were to need an ultrasound I would say: I'm gonna get an echo

[@GuyNamedSean]

Aron Bekhuis We use the term "echo" for echocardiograms in English, since we can't abbreviate it ECG because that's electrocardiogram.

[@av088r]

The Echo part of that probably comes from the pulse-echo method that the machine uses. you can do pitch-catch, and through transmission as well but those are mostly in the manufacturing industry and not medical.

[@Ganara426]

Who the fuck cares man how you call it in your shitty country

[@Regiaisu]

Ganara426 What's your problem, brah.

[@phillysub5115]

Ganara426...Go back in your hole, you moron!

[@jjab99]

I hope that you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. Have Fun, Joe

[@jean-lucchessher7065]

I thought it was just a lubricant

[@Wendifur_]

Honestly, why do you think that's something everyone should know? This person might have never been near one before and isn't a doctor. I honestly didn't know what the gel did, I thought it was lubricant too and I've had an ultrasound done on me. Don't be so condescending.

[@alzoron]

It actually is mostly just a lubricant that has other desirable acoustic qualities in addition to its use as a lubricant. Its ingredients are very similar to some commonly used non-oil based lubricants.

[@danbert8]

It can be... Most of the ultrasonic technicians in the industrial world use KY gel. It's cheap, easy to get, and it works.

[@shishi6799]

There's also an ultrasound gel recipe here in youtube. The doctors in medical missions going to poorer areas of the world make their own instead of bringing in a lot of gel to reduce baggage.

[@cyruskhalvati]

it is :P

[@Blistio11]

Do bat wings regenerate when they are damaged?

[@JohnSmith-qy2fh]

If they try hard enough

[@a-bird-lover]

Krešimir Jurilj No. Only batman can do that.

[@Crank797]

Krešimir Jurilj darude - sandstorm

[@gvcam09]

Lmao, thought you were talking about when your nutsack gets stuck to your thigh at first

[@TheMuzikath]

Yes, bat wings can be very rapidly "repaired".

[@phantasm1234]

Can you do one on cerebral aneurysms? I had one rupture at 19 and would love to learn more!

[@meltossmedia]

phantasm1234 ask him on patreon

[@ericjx]

Hmm, propylene glycol and glycerin are also the majority of vaping juice (others being flavoring and nicotine if added.) They're also found in inhalers for asthma.

[@NickRoman]

and in a lot of food

[@tyrroo]

and in tons of personal hygiene/care products like soap, makeup, conditioner, etc

[@vladoportos]

You forgot to mention that farts can defeat ultrasound ! Medical science 0 : Me after some Mexican food 1 :D

[@ShadowGaming-lx9ji]

Why does aluminum spark or catch fire in a microwave?

[@Babarudra]

I think it was the one on metal in microwaves. But I could be mistaken. :)

[@kristalvibes774]

But why does metal do that?

[@MedicEne]

Ah thank you very much for this, really well explained !

[@JeanTralala]

Love how he made it sound so matter-of-factly, even to bats and dolphins

[@sisyphyus]

Hey, got a fun question... Why does baking at "altitude" differ from baking at "sea level"? And would baking be different on the moon or Mars with the same equipment?

[@meltemfahliogullari]

İ found this channel to be the best on KZbin. I love how I can learn from here so fastly and useful things 👍🏻👍🏻

[@karigrandii]

You can treat deep muscles with ultrasound. You need a medium and water is one, gel is water. You need gel for the vibrations to work

[@burningSHADOW42]

A side mark: In space you can use Water for Ultrasound (for eyes at least). Chris Hadfield shows that in a video about Eyesight in space.

[@gracekim357]

my chem teacher patented this gel, he's really cool (and old)

[@av088r]

Which gel, because there are many. baby oil works about as well. a lot of the gels are water based.

[@jakoblichdi3631]

I love your videos guys! you make me so much smarter every day

[@Ifakojesfd]

That's a different channel.

[@casey7266]

Had to double check that thumbnail

[@Aksm91ManNavar]

i had this stuff put on my balls once when I was in the ER lmao felt dank-o-roni

[@beachtree2256]

Ken Anderson about a year ago I found a pea sized lump on my right testicle. I went to the ER and got both of my balls scanned. So I can attest to the great feeling of this gel.

[@thepower7803]

i suspect you are not lying

[@Aksm91ManNavar]

no im not lying, my left testicle became swollen probably quadruple the normal size and I was in a shit ton of pain.

[@beachtree2256]

Ken Anderson I got lucky. Once I got scanned I went to a specialist, he told me it wasn't cancer and it was just a lump. And to come back if it got bigger . To this day it hasn't gotten bigger. Thank god.

[@beachtree2256]

Ken Anderson was your gel warmed. The gel they put on me had to have been in a warmer.

[@fieldfrost4220]

Sci show can you guys make a video about animal symbiosis? Maybe like the clown fish and sea a anemone? I heard there are many other kinds and I hope you guys can make a video to share these animals

[@piktasvaikasvid]

this is so cool i never thought about it

[@razzigyrl]

I have to get a yearly thyroid ultrasound, and can hear it every time, especially when the tech has it pointed at a major blood vessel. It's an odd sound/feeling, like interior cricket noises, and the rhythm changes based on how deep they're looking and when they're taking specific still images.

[@22222Sandman22222]

Nice video! I liked especially the ending!

[@ToxicGamer3000]

Henry Lehtovirta then why are you subscribed to this channel?

[@22222Sandman22222]

I was trying to be *very* funny like 30 seconds after the video was uploaded

[@rach_88]

Love your videos!! Keep up the good work :D

[@derkescher266]

very interesting! that extends my knowledge about acoustic impedance..!

[@yonkiriati]

whoever invented ultrasound was a freaking genius

[@FroZenMemes]

Why is there a solid banana around my ultrasound gel?

[@Nulono]

What?

[@Qermaq]

Chom chom.

[@naominekomimi]

Why is the image shaped the way it is? Like with the small part at the top and the big part at the bottom?

[@Teth47]

The waves spread out at roughly a 45 degree angle from the transducer, it's like a flashlight beam in pitch black, it can only see where the beam is.

[@LB-tm1oj]

Where was this when I needed it?

[@Sean-tn5nv]

Imagine that instead of our eyes letting in light, they shot out ultra sounds at say 100khz and our brains/ears/recievers used that to create our 'reality'. Kind of like sonar but for vision! I never really thought about how ultrasound worked to be honest haha

[@ayasaleh7452]

Thank you so much 💛💛🤍

[@GhostsOfThings]

Everyone talks about how cold the gel is, and it's always in shows and movies as cold. Mine was definitely really warm... like above body temp. Makes me wonder if the place I went is the only place that bothers to warm up the gel. Haha.

[@duckey00123]

you should have mentioned that 2D ultrasonography can be used to investigate muscle architecture using some handy equations!

[@dutchik5107]

is there less sound when it's cold?

[@ichigopockychan]

My doctor sent me to an ultrasound technician after he found that my neck was too fat to properly see if I had a problem with my thyroid. Needless to say that I spent sometime after that appointment trying not to pick the hardened gel out of my hair

[@RedwoodGeorge]

(Neither glycerin nor propylene glycol are polymers, though they can be used as building blocks for polymers)

[@DarthTrazyn]

I wonder, if certain people could actually hear ultrasound noises through some sort of genetic mutation would it cause any sort of pain due to the frequency, for example the dog whistles that sound silent to us but a dog can hear, is it to them just a regular sound or is the reason they respond to it because of some other form of stimulus

[@JackGladstoneHolroyde]

Feedback: One of the first images you used was of a knee ultrasound post TKR surgery. This would most likely be therapeutic ultrasound - you're not going to image anything shooting a beam of sound straight into a metal patella. You then went at length to talk about diagnostic ultrasound. It may have been worth mentioning therapeutic ultrasound, and how it differs from diagnostic ultrasound.

[@magzire]

I just googled this few weeks ago.. crazy!

[@jvaldez97]

I believe it was in national geographic that they were saying that ultra sound caused mutations, and that the only people that have avoided these mutations are indigenous tribes. I don't think sound waves would be powerful enough to do that however.

[@THATTOYOTAGUY]

ultra sounds.. neat stuff

[@ajaaniajaa]

Why do we itch?

[@nitro8718]

Dead skin cells still remain on the body, therefore the body detects it, and wants them gone. (I think :/)

[@coolbrotherf127]

It also makes a tasty treat

[@ZiggyWhiskerz]

I always thought it was just for lubrication for the machine...

[@swallow1106]

For the longest time I assumed it mimic the visceral portion, surprised it's mimicking the skin impedance.

[@CarlosPereiraCanal]

How come some doctors cure tissue damage or infections with ultrasound? How does that work?

[@Wakakenaka]

So for an ultrasound thickness meter, the gel's impedance is similar to steel, or metals ? or is this the same gel ?

[@memyselfandi2935]

I thought it was just lube.

[@knath5095]

thanks a lot bro

[@alecjzam]

maybe Its just me, but how come when you yawn sounds get louder ? For example I work at a pool and when I'm at the top off the slide and I yawn the sound of the water running and everything else gets louder

[@yay842]

Can dogs hear the ultrasound?

[@Ifakojesfd]

Dogs can hear up to 79khz which means that they can hear some of the ultrasounds.

[@av088r]

In aviation we use mostly the Mhz range I believe medical is the same. Because as frequency increases so does resolution and sensitivity, generally.

[@Tfin]

A quick search turns up ranges of 1-20Mhz and 2-15Mhz. Even at 1Mhz, the answer is no. While dogs can hear frequencies we identify as ultrasound, they definitely can't hear the sound used by ultrasound machines.

[@laughoutmacleod]

can it be counted as a photo if it's using sound waves? I have the same issue with gamma camera images and xrays being called photos but at least they're essentially the same thing as a photo (electromagnetic radiation affecting a medium).

[@vishysalmundi9137]

*keep these questions coming

[@akhilrawat7039]

What are waves, like radio waves, electromagnetic wave, infrared waves etc.? I have seen many videos online but nothing satisfied me much. kindly put some light on above mentioned topic in your upcoming videos. also mention things like electricity, Schumann resonances, aurora and anything you like. Love to you tubers like you.

[@Antigoneofthebes]

Can you make a video about why water is denser than ice

[@youmaycallmeken]

It can't be "sounds that you can't even hear". They are sound waves that you can't even hear. By the definition of the word sound, sound waves are sound only when they are heard.

[@bazrazin1]

is the same gel used in ecg also.

[@tracyqin7589]

How does nail polish remover work?

[@noahm4601]

Tracy Chen you know how oil doesn't mix with water? Well nail polish doesn't mix with water either, but nail polish remover mixes with nail polish, so that the nail polish gets sort of liquified, just like the dirt on dirty dishes when they are washed with water.

[@gigglysamentz2021]

It's more like table salt dissolving in water but not in oil. The nail polish dissolves in the remover (it's acetone) but not in water.

[@MaliciousDesigns]

basically the answer to every how does this dissolve that question. Like dissolves like.

[@jm3955]

Will you guys be making a video on antimatter or the recent news about antihydrogen?

[@MeiBabee]

Oh, so ultrasound gel works similarly to immersion oil used with high objective magnification microscopy. Just with sound waves instead of light with use of index refraction. How relevant, I'm getting an ultrasound Friday.

[@fireaza]

Now that I think about it, I'm surprised there hasn't been a misinformed scare campaign about the effect of ultrasounds on babies.

[@ffarkasm]

"That's why they are good for echolocation if you are a bat or dolphin." Well, it has never happened to me before. Although my friend told me he had thought he was a carrot when he had been high on mushroom and wanted to plant himself in the ground.

[@MsHaleyDawn]

I was cackling at my ultrasound because the baby kept flipping us off whenever her hands were in the shot.

[@Tribble_Mama]

Ultrasound can also be used in physical therapy for tense, achy muscles

[@nathaliealazzam6982]

They should do an episode that explains why certain mint flavoured/scented things feel cold

[@Ganara426]

My guess would be that it evaporates quicker than usual materials idk

[@nathaliealazzam6982]

Ganara426 sounds like a good guess.

[@Guru_1092]

"Squishy bits" Technical term.

[@jeremytheasian]

0:27 - actually, it's usually warmed. Still weird, but not all that unpleasant.

[@Ifakojesfd]

Why are you stalking me? I was talking about acids and you make an acid video and when I have an ultra sound scan, you make this video.

[@kasnitch]

can any complex lifeforms on earth detect by sensor or tympanum those frequencies ?

[@Debug55]

Hey SciShow

[@rathodnehal2869]

hey can you tell me to what is function of gelly in ecg

[@quinnmasselink8321]

Can u guys do a video about what might happen if the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy disappeared?

[@britbritbaker95]

Just throwing this out there. If you are pregnant and you buy a Doppler for your home, my sister has one that is about six inches, you don't have to buy ultrasound gel. It can be pretty expensive. You can buy aloe Vera gel. My sister talked to her doctor and it works the same. You can buy a big bottle of aloe for a few dollars and it will last you way longer than you are pregnant.

[@paulkallevig8893]

Let's be honest... Hank probably asked this question.

[@homeycdawg]

The funny thing is that how ultrasound gel works is so simple that the majority of the video is dedicated to how ultrasounds themselves work.

[@JohnathanGross]

Since ultrasound uses sound, it wouldn't be a photograph would it?

[@charlietuba]

I was born before ultrasound (1956).

[@kg4boj]

I was born in 84 and they didn't do ultrasounds on pregnant women back then unless there was suspected trouble. They didn't even all agree that ultrasounds were completely safe and do them every pregnancy until the late 90s. I know some people born up to 95 or 96 or so that never had ultrasounds either, at the time the resolution sucked so bad you could almost never determine even gender from them. I think it was mostly used in the larger more expensive hospitals that just wanted extra tack on fees in the 90s.

[@s.n.8128]

So.. i just realized i am vaping ultrasound gel every day. - Yea, you guessed it, the main ingridients in electric cigaret juice is .. Glycerine, Propylene Glycol and destilled water/alchohol..

[@RustyTube]

Objection, Your Honor, there was no such thing as an ultrasound machine in 1950 when I was born (and according to Hollywood, everything was in black-and-white, hahaha!). Besides, even if it did, it wouldn’t be making photos (as in _photographs_ or _light_ drawings) but _phonos_ (_phonographs_, or _sound_ drawings) and yes, every single time a doctor prescribed any ultrasound imagery, the machine was emitting sounds even this old guy could hear (though I’m sure it also emitted ones I could not hear).

[@jnzapata50]

So can we vape the gel? E-juice is made of vegetable glycerin and propilene glycol

[@starswhisperlove]

Oh... and here I thought that the gel was just a lubricant to help the ultrasound thing move around the belly.

[@RobertSzasz]

Impedance matching

[@mr.strange8225]

How do rain drops form and release in a cloud?

[@saphira8080]

mR. StRAnGe as far as I know the water in a cloud freezes. Ice is heavier than water so it falls down. On the way to the surface the ice melts and becomes liquid again. But sometimes it does not melt and we get snow or hail instead of rain.

[@SomeAHole]

I've had three ultrasounds done in my life. One to check how my appendix was doing...And two to check out the source of testicular pain. They don't even heat it up.

[@szkoclaw]

hmm, can I strap VIve controller to an USG machine and use it to create a 3d mapping?

[@JeepJitsu]

as an Ultrasound student who just passed my SPI (basically ultrasound physics test) this is accurate.

[@ferna2294]

As a 10" 3D portable digital ultrasound machine, this is accurate too.

[@Uthgardloki]

everytime ive had one, ive heard the sounds. it sounds like bats clicking

[@ryosworkshop500]

anybody answear me... if water has an oxygen molecule and it needs it to, by definition, be water then how can water be low in oxygen? and if the oxygen molecules are replaced by something else... how come we still call it water?

[@SuqMadiq]

ryotofurytobe500 oxygen dissolved in a water solution is different from the oxygen used to make the molecule.

[@ducttapeanddreams]

Its called couplant. Good explanation, but why not insert the technical term in the explanation?

[@skywiseminecraft2629]

Just sound? Like they use to find oil? Im skeptical it has no effect at all.

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

what happened to hank?

[@Tfin]

He'll be back after these messages.

[@ihartevil]

hank never did every single one of these vids these were pre recorded and a lot of them michael aranda has done and its been this way for years

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

ihartevil I like Mike. but Hank is the master. I miss him😔

[@ihartevil]

he has been making vids for crashcourse thats why mike was filling in more

[@lovipoekimo176]

I want to have Michael Aranda's babies.

[@reikokirkland1939]

can there be a simpler way to define Acoustic Impedance?

[@SophieStillHasLegs]

I have a question- why do we cringe and shiver and feel the need to move around when we see gross stuff? Like if somebody had a dislocated joint or injuries to eyes and other sensitive places etc? why does it make us like, shiver?

[@jayfawn8478]

so he didn't answer about the gel

[@av088r]

That's it exactly. When a sound beam goes from one material to another a portion, depending on the difference in acoustic impedance of the 2 materials, reflects back. Air is a TERRIBLE conductor of sound, but a water based gel is much better than air. the idea is that it gets more sound into the test material, the flesh of the mother and child. I use this all the time doing nondestructive testing on aircraft parts but it is all the same. the only real difference is that I have to deal more with different waveforms. Most of medical sound wave are compression waves because of all the fluids in the body. liquids and gasses can only produce compression waves, but it can move in 3 other waveforms.

[@gorrillababy2000]

how about a video on whether spirits exist or not?

[@chrisikswkrmptokc3918]

Meena Alekhya its called SCISHOW

[@james2976]

but how does nose spray work?