Ultrasound in Spanish

What it means

An ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves to make pictures, also known as a sonogram, of organs, tissues, and other structures inside the body. It allows a health care provider to see into the body without surgery. Ultrasound can help monitor the health and development of a fetus during pregnancy, diagnose the cause of a wide variety of medical conditions, and guide certain biopsy procedures. During most exams, a sonographer spreads a special gel on the skin and moves a wand-like device, called a transducer, across it. The device sends sound waves into the body, picks up the echoes, and turns them into images on a computer screen. Ultrasound doesn't use ionizing radiation like x-rays use. It is also called ultrasonography.

Ultrasound in Spanish

Spanish term: Ecografía
Gender and article: feminine: la ecografía (plural: las ecografías)
Pronunciation: eh-koh-grah-FEE-ah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
ultrasonido	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under "Nombres alternativos" and used in its own text (exámenes de ultrasonido); the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary gives "prueba de ultrasonido" as another name.
ultrasonografía	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under "Nombres alternativos" and given as another name by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary.
ecosonografía	General	Given as another name for the procedure by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary.

Ecografía is the name used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, and it is feminine: una ecografía, la ecografía. MedlinePlus en español lists ultrasonido and ultrasonografía among the alternative names and uses ultrasonido in its own text, for example exámenes de ultrasonido. The NCI dictionary says the procedure is also called ecosonografía, prueba de ultrasonido and ultrasonografía. English "ultrasound" on an order and Spanish ecografía or ultrasonido name the same test.

Related words: the pictures are sonogramas in MedlinePlus en español and an ecograma in the NCI dictionary; the professional who performs the exam is the ecografista (sonographer); the wand-like device is the transductor (transducer). Named types include ecografía Doppler, ecografía transvaginal and, in pregnancy, ecografía prenatal, ecografía fetal or ecografía obstétrica. In the NCI dictionary the plural ultrasonidos names the high-energy sound waves themselves.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	I am going to order an ultrasound of your abdomen.	Voy a pedirle una ecografía del abdomen.
Patient	Will the ultrasound show what is causing my pain?	¿La ecografía mostrará qué me está causando el dolor?
Patient	Do I need to fast or drink water before the test?	¿Tengo que ayunar o beber agua antes de la prueba?
Clinician	Please come with a full bladder and do not urinate until the test is over.	Por favor, venga con la vejiga llena y no orine hasta que termine la prueba.
Clinician	I am going to put some gel on your skin; it may feel cold.	Le voy a poner un gel sobre la piel; puede sentirlo frío.
Patient	Does the ultrasound use radiation?	¿La ecografía usa radiación?
Patient	Can I see the images on the screen during the exam?	¿Puedo ver las imágenes en la pantalla durante el examen?
Patient	When will my doctor get the results?	¿Cuándo recibirá mi médico los resultados?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Ultrasound
Spanish (Español)	Ecografía
Chinese (中文)	超音波
Korean (한국어)	초음파 검사
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Siêu âm
Filipino (Tagalog)	Ultrasound
Portuguese (Português)	Ultrassonografia
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	อัลตราซาวด์
Japanese (日本語)	超音波検査

Where you'll see it

radiology reportchartEOBbillreferral

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.