How is an abdominal ultrasound done: on an empty stomach or not? This question is asked by people whom the doctor advised to undergo this procedure. This is the most common way to study the state of he alth, human organs.
What organs does ultrasound study in the abdomen
Ultrasound examination - safe diagnostics. Ultrasound monitoring of organs is carried out even for small children and pregnant women.
To study in detail the parenchymal organs, as well as organs filled with fluid, will help ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Is the procedure performed on an empty stomach or not? The attending physician will tell you about all the subtleties and details. The specialist analyzes the condition of the following organs:
- womb;
- gall bladder;
- appendages;
- liver;
- pancreas;
- spleen.
There are kidneys in the retroperitoneal space, they are also examined with the help of this device, it is also possible to study the stomach and intestines. But, given that the latter contain a certain air content, it will be difficult to analyze them, andresults may be skewed. Colonoscopy is used to obtain reliable data.
When an ultrasound is done
The procedure is recommended during a preventive examination or if a disease is suspected. Modern devices allow to determine violations in the abdomen with high accuracy. Low cost and high information content are considered the main advantages of the method. Whether to do an abdominal ultrasound on an empty stomach or not depends on the organ that will be examined.
Diagnostics are carried out in the direction of a doctor or on their own initiative with the following symptoms:
- fear of organ changes found by palpation;
- bitterness in the mouth;
- constant or episodic heaviness in the stomach;
- nausea, vomiting;
- increase in body temperature to insignificant levels (37.2 or 37.5);
- colic in the abdomen, pain under the chest, pain in the hypochondrium or lower back;
- increased bloating;
- frequent urination, burning, pain during the process;
- preparation before surgery;
- suspected infection, inflammation or oncology.
According to the results of the ultrasound, the doctor draws up a complete picture of the pathology and determines how badly the organ has suffered.
Preparation for examination
To achieve objective results, you need to properly prepare for the procedure. The doctor will tell you how best to do this, there is a kind of reminder of preparing for an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. It indicates some features of preparation for diagnosis:
- After X-ray, ultrasound examination is carried out only after three days.
- Do not drink alcohol for a few days, and do not smoke for a couple of hours before the procedure.
- Water before the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity is not drunk for 4-5 hours. The exception is the examination of the kidneys.
- In order for the intestines to be clean, it is advisable to do an enema before the diagnosis. It is possible without it, then the doctor will prescribe drugs for cleaning the intestines, which have a laxative effect. Or they take absorbent medicines for about two days.
- Examination is best done in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Chewing gum and lollipops should not be chewed a few hours before the procedure.
- When using an anesthetic the day before, the patient should inform the doctor about it.
Before preparing for an abdominal ultrasound, find out what you can eat to remove foods that can increase flatulence from the diet.
The doctor will advise to exclude from the menu:
- carbonated drinks;
- legumes;
- sausages;
- milk;
- nuts;
- fruits and vegetables;
- yeast products;
- fatty meat;
- coffee and strong tea;
- cottage cheese, fermented baked milk and kefir;
- confectionery;
- fruit juice;
- fatty fish;
- mushrooms;
- black bread.
Don't eat fried, s alty and spicy food. Limitation of suchproducts will reduce gas formation in the intestines and help the doctor examine the abdominal cavity more accurately.
Recommended diet
To identify functional or pathological processes in the organs, it is important to follow a diet. In the menu it is best to include:
- boiled, steamed or baked chicken, beef or fish;
- one hard boiled egg;
- barley, buckwheat, oatmeal cooked in water;
- hard cheeses;
- low-fat light soups or broths.
Eat preferably in small portions every 3 hours. For drinking, use weak tea or plain non-carbonated water. Refrain from eating 3-5 hours before the procedure itself. If the examination does not begin until after noon, then a light breakfast can be eaten.
Bladder examination
When examining the bladder, diseases of the organ and the degree of development of the pathology are revealed. The patient must carefully prepare and fulfill all the requirements of the doctor. By the beginning of the procedure, the urinary must be full, this will help determine it:
- shape;
- outline;
- wall thickness.
Before you do an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, can I drink? In this case, even necessary. To fill the organ, about a couple of hours before the examination, the patient drinks at least 1.5 liters of liquid. You can tea, compote, juice, water, but you can’t empty your bladder. It is desirable that during the procedure the patient really wants to go to the toilet.
Whenexamination of the adrenal glands or kidneys requires that the intestines be empty. Diagnosis is carried out on an empty stomach. The absence of problems with the stool will help to avoid additional stimulation, emptying in the morning will be enough. For constipation, the doctor will prescribe a laxative.
Diagnosis of the pancreas
During the examination of an organ, the doctor evaluates its contours and dimensions. Malignant and benign formations are visible. Before preparing for the procedure, you should find out from a specialist whether an abdominal ultrasound is done on an empty stomach or not. Namely, the pancreas. On the day of the procedure on an empty stomach, it is advisable to take a laxative and not eat or drink anything. Usually, when preparing, the doctor advises to refuse food rich in protein. You can drink water, but you can’t drink alcohol and harmful drinks.
Liver examination
Timely inspection of the organ allows you to detect diseases in the early stages of their development. The final result depends on the degree of preparation of the patient for the procedure.
Preparation for ultrasound of the liver is the same as for the usual diagnosis of other organs located in the abdomen.
Preparation for the study of female genital organs
When examining the uterus and appendages, you can notice abnormalities. In order for the results to be objective, everything should be done correctly for ultrasound of the abdominal organs. On an empty stomach or not to come to the procedure, it does not matter. But it is important that the bladder is full, so the organs will be better viewed. An hour before the procedure, you need to drink a literliquid.
Ultrasound is the most informative way to diagnose pathologies of various types. But in order for the results to be more accurate, it is in the interests of the patient to heed the doctor's recommendations and follow all the preparations for the ultrasound.
