It is necessary to prepare in advance for the examination of the abdominal cavity. After all, this affects the quality of the diagnostics. Ultrasound can see the following organs: stomach, gallbladder, spleen, liver, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, ureters, bladder, uterus (in women), prostate (in men), adrenal glands.
Preparing for the procedure
When signing up for an examination, you need to find out in advance what you need to do before an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, what you can eat. This will determine how accurate the results of the procedure will be. Foods that cause bloating and flatulence are banned. The patient will also need to stop taking certain medications.
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a quality bowel cleansing. It must be remembered that a few days before the procedure, it is necessary to drink herbs that help improve digestion and reduce gases. For these purposes, chamomile tea, mint,Melissa.
Some doctors, answering the question whether it is possible to eat before an abdominal ultrasound, advise drinking enzyme preparations for several days before the examination. It can be ordinary activated carbon or Festal.
Essential diet: how and when to start training
An ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity will not be of high quality if you do not start dieting on time. It should last at least three days before the procedure. The ultrasound specialist or the doctor who sent the patient for examination can explain what you can eat before the abdominal ultrasound.
Food should be balanced and complete. Don't take long breaks between meals. It is necessary to plan your day in such a way that food enters the stomach every 3-4 hours. You need to eat at least 4 times a day.
Every day the patient should eat cereals and low-fat varieties of fish and meat. You can also include 1 boiled egg, cheese in the daily menu. Only weak tea and still water are allowed to drink.
If a person has a problem with digestion, frequent constipation, then it is better to stick to a diet for 5 days. It is desirable that 8-12 hours elapse between the examination and the last meal, so there is no point in asking the doctor if it is possible to have breakfast before the abdominal ultrasound.
Examination of the smallest patients
Infants and preschool children are often prescribed ultrasound diagnostics. Babies need to be prepared for the procedure in much the same way as adults. But it is difficult for them to endure more than 8 hours without food before the examination. Therefore, they have different requirements.
Children who are breastfed do not feed for only 2-4 hours prior to the study. Water is not given 1 hour before the procedure. The time for ultrasound is selected in such a way that the examination is carried out before the upcoming next feeding.
Children under 3 years of age should preferably skip 1 feeding before the procedure. But they can also be examined in the early morning (before breakfast). Children aged 3 years and older should fast for about 6 hours before the procedure. That is why the examination is carried out in the morning, while the child has not yet eaten. Drinking is allowed no later than 1 hour before the procedure.
The rest of the rules regarding what you can eat before an abdominal ultrasound remain unchanged. It is not necessary for children to give fruit and vegetable purees the day before the study. They may take too long to digest.
List of Prohibited Foods
Before the examination, the patient should do everything possible to minimize the likelihood of gas formation in the intestines. Therefore, many products are banned. Among them:
- black bread and muffins (the amount of white bread should be kept to a minimum);
- fresh fruits (you will have to give up apricots, apples, peaches, pears, etc.);
- bean products: lentils, peas, beans;
- fermented milk products;
- whole milk;
- vegetables: no potatoes, cabbage, onions,asparagus, etc.;
- no any spices that irritate the intestines (these are: coriander, cumin, pepper, cinnamon);
- fatty fish and meat;
- alcohol and carbonated drinks.
A person who is going to be examined must follow a strict diet for three days. Only in this case, you can count on the fact that the diagnosis will be carried out correctly.
Preparation: three days before examination
Everyone, on their own or with the help of a doctor, must figure out what to do before an abdominal ultrasound. What you can eat, you need to find out separately. For three days it is necessary to change the diet. Food should enter the stomach 4-5 times a day. Breaks between meals should be no more than 4 hours, except at night. Drink more than 1.5 liters of water daily.
All prohibited foods should be excluded from the diet. You can eat the following:
- porridge on the water: barley, oatmeal, buckwheat, flaxseed;
- boiled eggs (no more than 1 per day);
- lean beef, skinless chicken, fish;
- lean cheese.
All products can be baked, steamed, boiled, stewed.
Patients who suffer from flatulence are prescribed special drugs. The doctor may advise taking activated charcoal, Enteros-gel or Espumizan. It is also easy to prevent gas formation with the help of enzymes such as Creon, Mezim, Pangrol, Festal.
The day beforeultrasound diagnostics
On the day before the examination, you need to be very careful about what to do before the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. What you can eat should be chosen with great care.
During the day, the patient can follow the generally accepted recommendations and eat cereals and lean meat. But on the eve of the study, we must once again remember whether it is possible to eat before an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Even more stringent restrictions become in the evening. Starting from 20:00, it is advisable to completely refuse food. Therefore, a light supper should be eaten before this hour.
In the evening, doctors advise to give up meat and fish products. They can be digested for a long time and interfere with a full examination. If a person has a tendency to constipation, then he will be prescribed a laxative. It will need to be drunk around 4 pm. This time will be enough for a complete bowel cleansing before an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. What you can eat and what drugs should be taken, the patient must remember. But the doctor must prescribe the funds. It can be "Senade", "Senadexin" and so on. Also, such patients are recommended to start drinking Espumizan, Meteospasmil or Simethicone the day before the examination.
If laxatives do not have the expected effect, then mechanical cleaning is necessary - an enema.
Examination day
If the procedure is scheduled for the morning hours, then there is no point in finding out what you can eat before an abdominal ultrasound. Breakfast should be skipped. Underthe only exceptions are those cases when the examination will be carried out in the evening. In this situation, you can eat a light breakfast.
Experts advise drinking activated charcoal (about 10 tablets) or 2 capsules of Simethicone before the procedure. This must be done a couple of hours before the examination. For people suffering from excessive gas formation, it is advisable to take an enema in the morning.
Immediately before the ultrasound, you can not smoke, drink water, chew gum, take antispasmodics, suck on lollipops. All this can affect the results of the diagnosis.
How the procedure works
Many people worry about what to eat before an abdominal ultrasound and forget to ask how the procedure is performed. She is absolutely painless. The doctor examines the internal organs with the help of a contact sensor. For the examination, the patient lies down on the couch.
For standard examination:
- look at the liver and gallbladder;
- assess retroperitoneal space, blood vessels;
- check the condition of the stomach, pancreas.
The rest of the authorities check if it is indicated in the direction for the examination.
Immediately after completion of the examination, the patient can return to their usual way of life. Further examination and treatment will be prescribed by the doctor who sent the patient for this diagnosis.
