Abdominal Sonography Test – Purpose, Preparations, and Procedure

How many of you are hesitating to have your abdominal sonography assuming the procedure to be painful and risky? Keep your nerves in control as exciting content is coming your way. This will certainly compel you to change your decision and encourage you to Google the keyword “ultrasound center near me”.

A brief about abdominal ultrasound

Abdominal ultrasound, as the name suggests, uses ultrasound waves to capture cross-sectional images of the abdomen. Doctors suggest this therapy to get a clear picture or video of the organs and structures inside the abdomen.

Many doctors recommend this abdominal ultrasound scan to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms in men. Those who are between the 65 to 75 age group and are current or former smokers are asked to perform this test to find out the clinical cause. However, doctors do not recommend this scan for men or women who are non-smokers unless they suspect an aneurysm.

Now a question that often takes away your sleep is – is the ultrasound test painful? Let’s solve this problem of yours.

Ultrasound, regardless of its type, is safe and extremely painless. This is the primary reason why every year, the number of people performing ultrasound tests increases by 4%. You can easily trust the ultrasound machine and the specialist performing the job for you.

What is the purpose of abdominal ultrasound therapy?

Ultrasound scans capture real-time images of the abdomen. It displays structural changes and movement of internal organs and even portrays how blood flows through blood vessels. This is the reason why this ultrasound therapy is most commonly used to detect any clinical issues.

Medical specialists recommend this abdominal ultrasound when patients complain about the problem in any of the following areas –

• Blood vessels in the abdomen
• Liver
• Kidneys
• Spleen
• Pancreas
• Intestines
• Gallbladder

The primary purpose of getting a sonography test on the abdomen is to find the causes of stomach pain or bloating. The test is pretty useful for detecting kidney stones, liver disease, tumors, and other health conditions, as listed below.

A few conditions when doctors look for an ultrasound test report before the treatment 

• Enlarged organ
• Gallstone
• Fluid in the abdominal cavity
• Liver cancer
• Appendicitis
• Pancreatitis
• Hernia
• Kidney blockage or cancer

Getting a detailed report on abdominal sonography help doctors performs the following procedures.

• Helps in performing an abdominal biopsy
• Doctors can easily drain out fluid from a cyst or abscess
• Doctors can determine the blood flow in the abdomen

What are the preparations needed to perform an abdominal sonography test?

Like other medical scanning processes, the abdominal sonography test also requires a few preparations. First of all, your doctor will ask you to fast for 8 to 12 hours before the scan. This is needed to digest the food in the stomach. Undigested food and urine in the bladder may block the sound waves. This makes it difficult for specialists to take the ideal picture of the abdomen inside the body.

Now, there are a few exceptions for fasting as well. In case you are asked to have an ultrasound for the gallbladder, liver, pancreas, and spleen, doctors recommend eating a fat-free meal the night before the test. Make sure you follow them to get ideal results.

If you need to have medicines, talk to your doctor. Many doctors suggest having medicines normally before ultrasound therapy. It is better to take expert advice instead of using your own smart brain in this medical sector.

What is the complete procedure of an abdominal ultrasound?

An abdominal ultrasound procedure is very simple yet effective. To conduct this process, ultrasound specialists apply lubricating jelly to the skin area of the abdomen. The importance of the gel is it prevents air pockets from developing between the transducer and the skin.

The ultrasound transducer, when rubbed over the gel applied on the skin, sends high-frequency waves through the body. When these waves hit any dense object like an organ, they echo, which in turn gets reflected on the computer screen. The waves are high-pitched and can be heard easily by the human ear.

Now, every patient is asked to lie down with the abdominal area open for the scan. It usually creates no discomfort. But if you are having pain in your abdomen, you may feel uneasy during the sonography test.

Abdominal ultrasonography runs smoothly. However, there are a few factors that may hinder the ultrasound therapy process. These include –

• Undigested food in the stomach
• Barium in the intestines due to a recent barium procedure
• Excess gas
• Severe obesity

That’s the reason why doctors recommend patients to fast for a specific period to avoid risks.

Once the examination is over, the technician cleans the gel and sets you free. The overall procedure takes around 30 minutes, and it takes a day to generate a proper report.

Is there any risk associated with an abdominal ultrasound process?

As mentioned earlier, the ultrasound medical scanning method is completely painless. Moreover, it is a risk-free method. Unlike X-rays, CT scans, and other medical scanning procedures, ultrasound uses no radiation to capture images inside the body. That’s the reason why doctors use this medical scan to examine the fetus in pregnant women.

Doctors ask would-be mothers to have a routine ultrasound to detect the development of the baby. The only reason behind this is there is no evidence found regarding any risk associated with the abdominal ultrasound process. Therefore, you can simply Google the keyword “ultrasound center near me” and reach out to a reliable pathology to get the test done.

How do get the right ultrasonography center for an accurate test?

You may have Google numerous times with the keyphrase “ultrasound center near me”. But finding an ideal path lab that can perform the test effectively is pretty difficult.

Plenty of path labs offering sonography tests at the best price are available in the market. But you just can’t choose any random test center. This is a doctor who frames out the treatment process based on this report so that you can recover in a short time. Hence, being choosy is important when you are asked to get sonography for your abdomen.

Let’s check out the points that you need to consider while getting your ultrasound scan.

1. Years of experience matter when you are conducting such tests. It is necessary to have trained and experienced technicians for this process.
2. Tools and technologies used by the path lab matter equally to get painless sonography and generate an authentic report.
3. The cost for sonography differs from lab to lab. Hence, finding the right one offering ultrasound therapy at the least price is important.
4. Patient care service is another important point that requires special attention.
5. Quick delivery of reports is essential.

Summary

Abdominal ultrasound therapy is an extremely painless medical imaging process to determine internal problems in the abdomen. Whether you are suspected of kidney stones, liver cancer, gall stones, or any other clinical problem, and abdominal sonography scan works best.

Found satisfying? Start Googling with the keyword “ultrasound center near me” and find a reliable path lab to get a risk-free scan at a cost-effective rate. Plenty of options are available in the market. You can consult with your doctor to get the one meeting your requirements.

Reference: CT Scan vs MRI Scan: Which Radiology test to Prefer and Why?