TEAM SPOTLIGHT:  Meet the superstars of Mercy Radiology giving you excellent care!

Meet Jenny, Mercy Radiology Sonographer.

A sonographer specialises in the use of ultrasonic imaging devices (ultrasound). Jenny recently wrote an article on lumbar hernias which has been published in the Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine to increase awareness of the use of ultrasound in diagnosing this condition.

On being a “Medical Detective”

“Sonographers are medical detectives. They use their ultrasound training, technical skills and understanding of the human body to decide if structures are normal or abnormal. They must be able to also adapt the ‘investigation’ as they find clues throughout an examination. This information is then used by doctors to determine the necessary treatment or next steps for the patient.

“A sonographer’s day is never dull. No two cases are ever the same and the most rewarding part of my job is using my knowledge to identify the problems for the patients, and then help the clinicians to solve these problems.”

On her Medical Journal article

“This is my first time having an article published in the Medical Journal. I decided to write this to increase awareness of lumbar hernia and show how ultrasound can be a useful tool in differential diagnosis; whenever a patient presents with a lump in the back, with, or without other symptoms.

 “Patients with lumbar hernias can present with a variety of symptoms and clinicians are generally unfamiliar with the presentation of lumbar hernias, which frequently leads to misdiagnosis and a delay of treatment. Prompt failure to diagnose and surgically correct lumbar hernias can result in increased morbidity.

 “CT scan is currently the imaging study of choice for lumbar hernias and academic literature on the use of ultrasound diagnosis is limited. An imaging study provides a valuable aid towards diagnosing and therefore being able to treat lumbar hernias.”