What is an Abdominal Ultrasound?

Ultrasound examination uses the human body to observe the reflection of ultrasonic waves. It uses weak ultrasonic waves to illuminate the body and image the reflected waves of tissues. The sound image can indirectly reflect the structure of each layer of tissue in a part of the human body. Abdominal ultrasound is applicable to the diagnosis of various organ pains such as liver, gallbladder, bile duct, spleen, pancreas, kidney, adrenal gland, bladder, prostate and so on. Ultrasound method is simple, the diagnosis accuracy is high, and it is non-invasive to the subject. Ultrasonic waves decay rapidly in the air and are not suitable for cavity organ examination.

Basic Information

Chinese name

Abdominal ultrasound

Purpose of inspection

Check the size, shape, location, etc. of the abdominal organs

Clinical significance

For the diagnosis of abdominal organ pain

Purpose of abdominal ultrasound

This test can quickly detect changes in the size and shape of the liver, gallbladder, bile duct, spleen, pancreas, kidney, adrenal gland, bladder, prostate, etc .; whether it is in a normal position; whether there is a placeholder in the organ; Still liquid, such as cysts, hematomas, and abscesses, and to a certain extent, can identify whether the space is benign or malignant, and whether it is oppressed by surrounding tumors or organs; it can also detect enlarged lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity and pelvis ; You can observe the contraction of the gallbladder and judge the function of the gallbladder; you can also accurately determine the presence or absence of ascites, even a small amount of ascites can be measured.

Ultrasound of the abdomen

1. Preparation before examination (1) Abdominal ultrasound examination, especially for gallbladder and pancreas examination, should be fasted. Generally, fasting should be fasted for 24 hours before the examination, and at least 8 hours on the day of the examination. If a barium examination of the gastrointestinal tract has been performed before, the examination should be performed after the barium is eliminated after 3 days.
(2) Pregnant women suspected of having a low or placenta previa also need a moderate filling of the bladder.
(3) Early pregnancy (less than 3 months), the examination of embryos and fetuses and their appendages also need to fill the bladder.
(4) Examination of the bladder, ureter, uterine appendages, prostate, etc. requires moderate bladder filling in order to observe whether the bladder is abnormal. Two hours before the test, you need to drink 1000-1500ml of water, and do not urinate until the bladder is full and the bladder feels bloated before you can check. If biliary angiography has been performed before, ultrasound examination should be performed two days later.
2. Examination method (1) Posture The subject is in a supine position, breathing calmly, placing both hands on both sides of the head to increase the intercostal space, which is convenient for examination. It is used for liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and large abdomen. The basic position of ultrasound examination of blood vessels and other abdominal wall; it is also the position often used to observe the presence or absence of ascites, especially a small amount of ascites; It is convenient to check the liver, gallbladder, right kidney and right adrenal glands, and the hilar structures such as the portal vein and its branches, and extrahepatic bile ducts. The test often requires the subject to perform deep inhalation and scanning with abdominal breathing at the same time; lying on the right side , Lying to the right 60 ° 90 °. Convenient to check the spleen, left kidney, left adrenal gland, tail region of pancreas, and show arteries and veins of the spleen, kidney; semi-recumbent position, sitting position: the subject leans his hands backwards on the bed or has his back supported by others, sitting on the bed so that the abdominal wall Keep relaxed, and then scan to observe obesity, abdominal fluid, liver and gallbladder, and upper intestine due to intestinal gas. The pancreas is not clear. The prone position is an important position to check bilateral kidneys. ; knee chest position, easy to observe the distal bile duct and gallbladder neck stones and bladder stones movement.
(2) Ultrasound scan of the abdomen should be systematic, comprehensive and regular, and be carried out in an orderly manner according to certain steps.

Clinical significance of abdominal ultrasound

1. Cystic mass (1) Simple cystic mass: such as ovarian cyst, pseudo pancreatic cyst, common bile duct cyst, etc., often have the following characteristics. The cyst has no cystic echo, and the edges are smooth and clear; The cyst has no cystic echo, and the rear echo is enhanced; The cyst has no cystic echo, and there are side wall sound shadows on both sides; The cyst has no cystic echo, and it is still after increasing the gain No echo appears.
(2) Thin-spaced multilocular cysts: There are multiple thin, intense light bands inside the cystic echoless space. Ovarian multifocal cysts, polycystic liver, and polycystic kidney disease have such manifestations.
(3) Thickly spaced multilocular cysts: The cystic non-echo is separated by a wide range of bright light bands. There are also border sound shadows on both sides of the mass, and echoes in the rear are enhanced. Common ovarian dermoid cysts, malignant changes in multilocular ovarian cysts, and multi-chamber manifestations in abscesses.
2. Solid mass (1) Substantially homogeneous mass: the interior of the mass is uniformly distributed with low or medium light point echoes; the mass is smooth, clear, and sometimes lobulated; there is generally no echo enhancement behind the mass, and sometimes it can appear Sound and shadow diffused outward. Lymphoma is such a manifestation.
(2) Heterogeneous parenchymal mass: the echoes in the mass vary in intensity and uneven distribution; the edges of the mass may be irregular, but the boundaries are still clear. Such masses include fibroids, cystic changes within the tumor, and so on.
(3) Parenchymal infiltrative masses: The distribution within the masses is extremely uneven, and most of them are heterogeneous low echoes, which are significantly different from the echoes of surrounding tissues; the edges of the masses are irregular, the contours are not clear, and they often infiltrate and grow around in the form of crab feet; The distal posterior echo often weakens. Most of these masses are malignant tumors.
3. Ultrasound images of ascites and ascites are relatively intuitive and easy to recognize. The exudate or leaked fluid shows black and gray-scale dark areas, and it can be seen that the internal organs of the abdominal cavity float, and the intestinal peristalsis is clearly visible.