How Long Does It Take To Get Ultrasound Results

An abdominal ultrasound is an imaging test. It allows your doctor to look within your abdomen (often referred to every bit your stomach or belly) without surgery. The abdomen is the office of your body that contains your tummy, large and small intestines, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. Information technology contains claret vessels, including the chief artery that supplies blood from your heart (aorta), the large vein that carries blood to your heart (inferior vena cava) and all of its branches. As well, it contains muscles and your spine.

An abdominal ultrasound is safety. The exam may crusade merely mild discomfort. Information technology is performed on people of all ages. A trained medical technician moves a handheld device (called a wand) across your belly. The wand is connected to an ultrasound machine. As the technician moves the wand across your belly, information technology produces high-frequency sound waves. Those sound waves create real-time images and video of the inside of your abdomen. The images look similar to an X-ray. However, ultrasound picks up things that aren't seen by an X-ray.

Earlier starting the process, the technician will use a pocket-sized corporeality of a articulate gel to your stomach. This helps the wand move easily. The gel may feel cold.

Path to improved well being

Abdominal ultrasounds are performed on people who accept unexplained abdominal pain or take had abdominal injuries. When you arrive for your ultrasound, you volition exist asked to undress and put on a light gown. You'll lie on your back adjacent to the ultrasound machine. A technician volition utilise the gel onto your abdomen and spread it effectually using the wand. The technician will lookout man the images as they appear on a nearby monitor. He or she volition record the images for the doc to review. The exam typically takes less than xxx minutes to complete. You volition non go results from the technician. He or she will send the images to your doctor to review. Your doctor'south office will contact you lot with the results.

An abdominal ultrasound is one of the chief tests used to find an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is a medical condition that causes the avenue that supplies blood to the lower office of your torso to bulge. On rare occasions, the bulge can burst (called an intestinal aortic rupture). This tin can be unsafe, even deadly. When it bursts, it can cause internal bleeding and requires firsthand medical attention.

Men who smoke or used to smoke are at a higher gamble of having an aortic aneurysm. This is specially true for men over the age of 65. If yous are a male person who has ever smoked, and are between the ages of 65-75, talk to your doc almost an abdominal ultrasound to determine your take a chance for this condition. Others at risk for an aortic aneurysm include people who are white, have a family history of a thickening of artery walls, have high claret pressure level, take had an aneurysm in some other artery, or are severely obese. If yous are having an abdominal ultrasound for an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may have you fast (no nutrient or liquid, except water) for 8 to 12 hours earlier your examination. Having nutrient and liquids in your stomach or urine in your bladder makes it difficult for the technician to see inside your abdomen. Other reasons your doc may guild this exam include:

To locate the cause of a kidney infection.
To diagnose and track tumor growth and cancer.
To diagnose or treat fluid buildup in your belly.
To cheque the swelling of organs within the belly.
To examine the damage from an injury to your spleen.
To locate kidney or gallbladder stones.
To determine the cause of aberrant liver or kidney blood tests.
To cheque for unexplained causes of fever.
To guide a biopsy procedure (using a needle to take a sample of a tumor or tissue from your abdomen).

Things to consider

Your physician will examine you lot before deciding if yous should have an abdominal ultrasound. Ultrasounds exercise not betrayal you to radiation. You may accept some mild discomfort as the wand is moved over the surface area of your abdominal hurting.

An abdominal ultrasound is less effective on people who are severely obese. Excess fatty and tissue blocks the technician's view of organs and arteries. If your doctor recommends an abdominal ultrasound for your liver, gallbladder, spleen, or pancreas, eating a fatty repast before the test will limit the technician's view of those organs.

Questions to ask your md

Why would my doctor choose an intestinal ultrasound over an X-ray or a CT scan?
Will an abdominal ultrasound expose my insides to anything harmful?
If the technician finds that I take excess air inside my tum or organs, will I be asked to return at another fourth dimension?
Can this exist done in my physician's office?

Resources

National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: Intestinal Ultrasound

This information provides a general overview and may not use to anybody. Talk to your family physician to find out if this information applies to you and to go more information on this subject field.