The ultrasound scanner used during your test will be made of a computer console, monitor and attached transducer - a small, hand-held device that looks like a microphone. Inaudible, high-frequency sound waves are sent through the transducer into the body, which transfers returning echoes back to the computer to be recorded, analyzed and displayed on the screen. A technologist places a small amount of gel on the area of your body that's being examined before the transducer is used. This gel allows the soundwaves to travel back and forth between your body and the transducer. The video monitor will then display the image in real-time. Your body's structure and/or tissue is analyzed by the computer before it produces the image based on the loudness (amplitude), pitch (frequency) and time it takes for the ultrasound signal to return to the transducer.