Ultrasound examination of the body is a completely harmless procedure that can be prescribed to babies from birth. The child will certainly do an ultrasound of the abdominal organs when he is one month old. This type of examination helps to identify congenital anomalies, as well as to recognize the beginning pathological processes. The procedure is completely painless and lasts approximately 20 minutes. The initial stage is of great importance here. How to prepare for an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity of a child? Let's take a closer look at this issue in this article.
Is it safe to do an ultrasound for a baby?
Let's take a closer look at this. Many young parents worry that an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity of the baby can be harmful. This issue has been the subject of many scientific studies. Today, experts say with full confidence that this method is completely harmless to the child compared to other types of examinations, such as fluorography, MRI and CT. Radiation exposure atthere is no ultrasound examination.
Ultrasonic radiation has nothing to do with radiation. It has a completely different nature. These are simple high frequency acoustic vibrations that occur in the range from 1 to 12 MHz. The human ear does not perceive them. However, ultrasound is present in the noises created by the surf, winds and the sounds made by some animals. The procedure itself will not cause any discomfort to the child. It is usually performed in a relaxed atmosphere, which is also of great importance.
Indications
This issue should be given special attention. Usually, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity organs is prescribed for children in a planned manner. However, in some cases, the doctor may send for an additional examination after a simple examination. A pediatrician or gastroenterologist writes out a referral for ultrasound. What are the main indications for this type of examination?
It is worth highlighting the following:
- Scheduled examinations of babies under the age of 1.5 months. Such examinations help to exclude congenital pathologies of development, as well as to identify many diseases at an early stage.
- Complaints of pain or discomfort on palpation.
- Increased gas formation.
- Pain in the back and abdomen of a pulling or cutting nature.
- Bitterness in the mouth.
- Nausea.
- Heaviness in the stomach.
- Appearance of yellowness on the whites of the eyes and skin.
- Permanent disruption of normal stools.
- Sudden change in body weight.
- The appearance of a rash on the skin.
Where can I do an abdominal ultrasound for a child? This procedure is performed both in public hospitals and clinics, and in private medical centers.
What can a survey reveal?
A baby's abdominal ultrasound is usually done to examine the liver, spleen, gallbladder, or pancreas. The doctor conducting the procedure will definitely decipher the results, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body and normal indicators. In some cases, an ultrasound examination of the kidneys can be performed separately.
In addition to congenital anomalies, ultrasound helps to identify pathological changes in the abdominal organs.
These include:
- infectious mononucleosis;
- internal bleeding;
- blood diseases.
Violations of this type may be indicated by enlarged internal organs, neoplasms, cysts and abscesses. Ultrasound also helps to detect the presence of harmful microorganisms in the liver tissues. An ultrasound examination can diagnose a pancreatic disease such as reactive pancreatitis. It usually appears in babies.
Using an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs, deviations in the motility of the gallbladder, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, cysts and other formations can be determined. Most paid clinics today offer an ultrasound of the internal organsusing Doppler. This examination can detect congenital defects of the kidneys.
Preparing for research
So what's the right way to do it? In order for the ultrasound examination to show reliable results, you need to prepare well for the procedure. This stage begins 3-5 days before the planned examination. The main requirement is to ensure the acoustic accessibility of all organs under study. This means that there should be no air, gases or food residues in the baby's stomach. In addition, during digestion, the internal organs of the baby increase naturally. Therefore, during the scanning process, this may prevent the specialist from correctly determining the condition of a particular organ. How to prepare a child for an ultrasound of the abdomen and kidneys?
There are a few simple rules:
- If a newborn is to undergo the procedure, the baby should not be fed three hours before the examination.
- Ultrasound is best done in the morning, when the baby is not yet hungry enough.
- When preparing for an ultrasound, it is recommended that babies aged 1 to 3 skip one feeding.
- Liquid should be avoided an hour before the procedure.
- So that the child does not act up, it is allowed to give him a small amount of slightly sweetened water.
- Children over three years old are not afraid of a slight hunger strike.
- Ultrasounds are usually performed in the morning or afternoon. The main requirement is that the last meal should take place 6-8 hours before the ultrasound examination.
- Ifthe child suffers from increased gas formation, then a few days in advance it is recommended to start taking Espumizan. This remedy will help eliminate the symptoms of flatulence.
- Before the examination, the intestinal tract must be empty. To do this, it is recommended to put an enema 12 hours before the procedure.
Diet
How to prepare for an abdominal ultrasound of a child? Many experts advise starting a training course a few days before the examination. For this purpose, a dietary course is carried out. The main task of the diet is the exclusion from the diet of any foods that can cause increased gas formation. The list of dishes for each child is compiled taking into account individual characteristics. However, there are a number of generally accepted prohibitions.
So, for example, you should completely exclude from the diet for several days:
- dairy and sour-milk products;
- fresh vegetables and fruits;
- baked goods;
- legumes;
- fatty meat and fish;
- carbonated drinks;
- sweets and lollipops.
During preparation for the procedure, the basis of the child's diet should be cereals, poultry, boiled eggs, cheese and lean fish. Children should not be given any medication on the day of the study. Particular attention should be paid to the use of liver and pancreas stimulants, as well as the use of antispasmodic drugs.
How is the diagnosis carried out?
Can children have an abdominal ultrasound? How is this procedure done for babies? An ultrasound examination session is performed by the transabdominal method. The specialist performing the procedure applies a special gel to the child's skin. After that, a special sensor begins to drive along the surface of the abdomen. In time, the procedure takes no longer than 20 minutes. The doctor can turn the child on his back. Older children are usually asked to inflate their stomach, hold their breath, stand up, take a deep breath. The main task of parents in the examination process is to calm the child. Try to explain to the baby that he will not be hurt. As for clothes, it is better to choose loose-fitting clothes in which it is easy to open the stomach.
Transcript
What is the most important thing when performing an ultrasound of the abdominal organs in children? The specialist must correctly interpret the results of the examination. Usually, after an ultrasound scan, adults are given a transcript of it. In some cases, the doctor attaches it to the outpatient card. The gastroenterologist or pediatrician who gave you the referral for the examination will be able to analyze the data.
How to read an abdominal ultrasound in a child? What does this study show? The purpose of ultrasound is to determine the following indicators:
- When examining the liver - parameters of the lobes, structural structure, size of the portal vein and bile duct, echogenicity.
- In the study of the spleen, special attention is paid to uniform differences and structure.
- With ultrasound of the pancreas - in addition to matching the sizethe presence of formations in tissue cells and ducts is also checked.
- The gallbladder is examined for wall thickness, shape differences and size.
- For a paired organ, in addition to parameters, the structure and the presence of stones in it are also studied.
What is considered normal?
This is a state when all organs have the usual size and shape, without the growth of tissues and calculi, cysts, neoplasms and fluids. The diameter of all vessels should also remain within the normal range. The specialist still needs to check the condition of the bile ducts and the outflow of urine. Doctors do not recommend that parents try to decipher the ultrasound examination on their own. The problem is that in the normal state in children and adults, the indications for ultrasound of the abdominal organs can vary greatly. And in young patients, the indicators can vary depending on age. What is considered normal for an infant will be considered abnormal in an older child.
Ultrasound examination often allows diagnosing abnormalities in the development of organs that can return to normal with age. In addition, non-standard forms of internal organs are an individual feature of the child's body and in no way prevent him from leading a normal life.
Features of kidney ultrasound
Ultrasound examination allows you to determine pathologies such as pyelonephritis, the presence of sand and stones in the kidneys, abscess, narrowing of the urinary canal, enlarged kidneys, inflammation of the mucous membranes,tumors, cysts and so on. Timely detection of the disease allows adequate treatment and significantly increases the chances of recovery.
Preparation for kidney exam
The most difficult thing is to conduct an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity of the baby. Preparation allows you to achieve more reliable and accurate results. Half an hour before the study, you need to give the child a certain amount of liquid. The volume will depend on the age of the baby. It is best to use non-carbonated water or unsweetened tea for this purpose. This preparation will help improve visualization of the organs. Filling the bladder helps straighten its folds and thereby improve the quality of the examination. Also, the liquid improves the conductivity of ultrasound, which allows you to study all the structures of organs.
Conclusion
Ultrasound helps to diagnose various pathologies and diseases in time. If you know how to prepare for an ultrasound of the child's abdominal cavity, then the results of the examination will be informative.
