What is the purpose of the abdominal ultrasound examination?
Abdominal ultrasound examines the organs of the abdominal cavity (e.g., liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidney). With the help of the examination, the larger vessels of the abdominal cavity, the abdominal main artery and the surrounding lymph nodes can also be examined.
Ultrasound diagnostics are often used as part of internal medicine and gastroenterological examinations, as they provide accurate information about certain organs in the abdomen and lesser pelvis. Abdominal ultrasound can detect certain organ disorders, gallstones, kidney stones, abdominal cysts or abscesses, inflammatory diseases, tumours.
Which areas does abdominal ultrasound examine?
It is suitable for the examination of the abdominal and pelvic organs: liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, bladder, in women the uterus, ovaries, in men the testis, the prostate can all be examined with ultrasound. With its help, an opinion can also be formed about the larger blood vessels running in the abdominal cavity and about the lymph nodes, too.
Organ size changes, structural abnormalities, and developmental abnormalities can be seen with ultrasound as well as cysts, stones, abscesses, benign fat and muscle tumours, malignant tumours, and abdominal fluid.
In case of gastrointestinal complaints, it is recommended that the abdominal ultrasound examination be supplemented with other examinations, such as gastroscopy or colonoscopy.
How is the abdominal ultrasound examination performed?
Abdominal ultrasound should first expose the abdominal area and lie on your back on the examination bed. The test is painless, due to the better propagation of the ultrasound waves, the probe is smeared with an ultrasound gel, which can cause a cold feeling in the abdomen at first. The kidneys are examined laterally. The image of the internal organs is immediately displayed on the monitor, so they can be easily viewed and measured, and images can be taken if necessary.
How to prepare for an abdominal ultrasound?
Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound examination requires some preparation. You should arrive with an empty stomach, which means you cannot eat for 6 hours before the examination, you can only drink tap water or non-carbonated mineral water.
For even better visibility of the abdominal and pelvic organs, a full bladder is required during abdominal ultrasound. It is recommended to consume at least half a litre of liquid (tap water or non-carbonated mineral water) before the examination. The bladder should not be emptied immediately prior to the examination, only 2-3 hours beforehand.
