Abdominal ultrasound procedure - essential notes

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. Tran Nhu Tu - Dean and Master, Doctor Nguyen Thanh Nam - Department of Diagnostic Imaging - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital

1. What is abdominal ultrasound?

Abdominal ultrasound is one of the routine examinations for the purpose of periodic health checks or monitoring and evaluation of known diseases. Abdominal ultrasound can assess damage to organs such as liver, bile, urinary system (kidneys, bladder, ureters), reproductive system (uterus, ovaries in women, prostate in women). male), spleen, pancreas.
Abdominal ultrasound can also evaluate some gastrointestinal diseases such as: Appendicitis, large tumors in abdominal organs, abdominal lymph nodes, abdominal vascular abnormalities, can be evaluated. peritoneal fluid and fluid in the pleural cavity and pericardium.

2. What diseases can an abdominal ultrasound detect?

Meaning of abdominal ultrasound is to check health periodically or identify pathology through signs that the patient considers abnormal. They can detect:
Liver diseases: Chronic hepatitis , cirrhosis , cirrhosis of the liver K , liver cancer Bile diseases : Cholecystitis , gallstones Acute or chronic pancreatitis , Pancreatic tumor, enlarged spleen Urinary system diseases: Kidney obstruction, kidney stones or cancer of the kidney, bladder, ureters Genitourinary system diseases: Uterine fibroids, endometrial cysts, cancer uterine, ovarian, enlarged or prostate cancer Digestive system diseases: Appendicitis, gastric tumors, gastrointestinal tract tumors, hematomas, mesenteric lymphadenomas, masses Intussusception... Besides, abdominal ultrasound can also detect many other diseases such as abdominal aortic aneurysms, fluid accumulation in the abdomen,... and can evaluate fluid in abdomen, pleural cavity and pericardium.

3. Abdominal ultrasound procedure

The abdominal ultrasound procedure is very quick, safe, painless, and non-radiative, so it is widely used in cases of infection diagnosis, cancer screening and monitoring of abdominal pathology. . Specific steps:
Place the patient on the ultrasound examination table. Have the patient lie on his or her back on the bed, legs extended. The shirt pulls over the sternum and pants pull over the pubic joint, the patient's hands are raised above the head Register the patient's name and important information into the machine, select the transducer and the abdominal ultrasound program Apply the gel to the transducer Perform abdominal ultrasonography through the cutting planes. Ultrasound can be done through other positions such as lying on the side, oblique... depending on the case. When done, use a clean towel to wipe off the gel on the patient's body

4. Notes when performing abdominal ultrasound

Usually the ultrasound examination can be done without preparation such as; echocardiography, blood vessels, thyroid, face and neck, eyes, mammary glands, musculoskeletal software... However, in order for the abdominal ultrasound procedure to take place smoothly and obtain the most accurate results, the disease Patients should note some of the following cases:
Note the abdominal ultrasound, the patient should try to hold in urine, drink a lot of water so that the doctor can make the ultrasound easier and give accurate results. Do not try to drink too much water at once, as this will cause the stomach to dilate, affecting the ultrasound results.
Ultrasound examination of the gallbladder: Fasting > 6 hours before the ultrasound because when eating, the gallbladder will shrink, difficult to examine and may miss small lesions. Transvaginal transvaginal ultrasound (only performed in sexually active women): the patient must empty their bladder so that there is no urine left before the ultrasound. General abdominal ultrasound should eat light, easy to digest foods, avoid fatty foods and foods that cause bloating. Ultrasound examination of the pelvic region: survey of the ureters, bladder, prostate, uterus, ovaries and less than 3 months of pregnancy, need to hold urine until the bladder is full (feeling very need to urinate). Ultrasound examination of the stomach and pancreas: the patient needs to drink water before the examination. Note that the patient should wear comfortable clothes and loose clothes when examining the abdomen. Keep quiet while waiting for the examination, so that the doctor can better focus on the examination. It is advisable to choose modern medical examination facilities, advanced equipment and a team of experts with expertise and experience to help detect diseases early and treat them promptly.

5. When is an abdominal ultrasound needed?

When you detect symptoms such as: Persistent abdominal pain, palpable or suspected tumor, mental fatigue, unwillingness to eat, unexplained weight loss or digestive disorders. Even if you have no symptoms, you can still go for an abdominal ultrasound to check your health periodically because it is a safe test. Regular health check-ups should be carried out every 3-6 months.
In summary, abdominal ultrasound is the first technique used to screen, diagnose and monitor abdominal diseases, including acute diseases such as appendicitis, acute pancreatitis. , acute enteritis, cholangitis, acute cholecystitis, ureteral stones, torsion ovarian cyst, ectopic pregnancy..., so when there is abnormality, it is necessary to go to the hospital for early diagnosis.
Currently, the Ultrasound machines at Vinmec International General Hospital are modern machines with full features such as Doppler, tissue elasticity and high image quality, serving very well for diagnosis. Therefore, when there are health problems, customers can go to the hospital to check and get instructions from a specialist doctor.
Any questions as well as customers who want to be examined and treated at Vinmec International General Hospital. Customers can call hotlines of hospitals for more information or register directly HERE.
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