Modern diagnostic methods allow you to safely and very accurately determine the state of the body, each of its internal organs. One of the most popular ways to identify different pathologies today is ultrasound. It is conducted by many modern medical clinics. How is an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity in adults, norms and deviations, decoding of indicators - all these points will be discussed later.
Diagnostic Features
Some patients are interested in: what gives an abdominal ultrasound to an adult? This examination is performed when certain symptoms of a malfunctioning digestive system occur. The patient may be followed by pain in the peritoneum or lower back, and he may also feel weakness, nausea. If you suspect certain diseases, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound scan.
This is a painless, harmless procedure. She practically has no contraindications. The equipment includes a scanner that directs ultrasound into the body. Further, the equipment receives a signal reflected from the tissues and displays the image on the screen. The doctor sees a black and white picture. It can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The image is displayed in real time.
It is worth noting that there are certain norms of abdominal ultrasound in adults. Interpretation of the result can only be done by a doctor of appropriate qualifications. An ordinary person, looking at the image of the organ on the screen, will not be able to determine if there is a pathology. Therefore, only a professional can do such a task. After the examination, the patient is given a form in which the parameters of the organs are indicated, as well as data obtained during the examination. To make a conclusion about the condition of internal organs, you can familiarize yourself with the basic norms, as well as deviations.
During the examination, one or more organs may be examined. The cost of the procedure depends on this. A full examination includes the study of such organs:
- Pancreas.
- Liver.
- Gall bladder.
- Spleen.
- Genitourinary system, kidneys.
- Vessels, lymph nodes.
Ultrasound will be uninformative when examining the stomach and intestines. There are gases here, which makes it difficult to study the state of the organ. The walls of the stomach are too thick for ultrasound to penetrate through them. In this case, a different examination is required.
Informative methods
What will an abdominal ultrasound show in adults? This technique is very informative. It allows you to consider both the external structure of the organ, and its internal space. In this case, pathology can be detected even at an early stage of development. Even fine details are visible in the image. However, functional deviations cannot be determined during the presented procedure.
With the help of ultrasound, the size of the internal organs is estimated . This allows you to determine the presence of certain pathologies. The doctor also evaluates the internal structure of the peritoneal organs, their contents and location. The presented technique allows to identify foci of a chronic or acute inflammatory process, the state of the vessels.
On ultrasound, neoplasms are clearly visible. The doctor can evaluate their structure, the presence of fluid inside, or metastasis. In the kidneys, urinary and gall bladder stones can be seen.
What do adults see on ultrasound of the abdomen? Each medical center offers a specific list of internal organs that are evaluated during the procedure. Usually, if the cost of the service exceeds 2 thousand rubles, the doctor examines in stages all the organs that are in the abdominal cavity. If the price of ultrasound is 1-1.5 thousand rubles, only the hepatobiliary system is examined during the procedure.
In addition, in some cases, only one organ is required to be diagnosed. In this case, the cost varies from 500 rubles. and higher, depending on the pricing policy of the clinic.
Survey
Considering how abdominal ultrasound is done by adults, it should be noted that this is a rather lengthy process. This is due to the examination of several internal organs at once. The minimum duration of the procedure is 20 minutes. If you want to conduct a full range of examinations, diagnosis can be carried out within an hour.
The examination is carried out using special equipment called an echo tomoscope. In modern clinics, new equipment is used that is capable of displaying a high-quality picture on the screen. Older devices may interfere. Because of this, the interpretation of the result may be difficult. Therefore, it is worth contacting only large medical centers that have high-quality equipment.
Having entered the office, the patient undresses to the waist. He lays on a couch on his back. The doctor may ask you to roll over during the examination of the side or stomach. So it is possible to better consider some organs.
A special water-based gel is applied to the skin. It prevents the formation of an air gap between the scanner and the surface of the abdomen. Ultrasound can penetrate into the body.
During the procedure, you may need to hold your breath for several seconds. This will be reported by the doctor at a certain point in the examination. The result is given to the patient immediately after the ultrasound.
Liver, gall bladder
Deciphering ultrasound of the abdominal organs in adults can only be done by a doctor of the appropriate qualifications. The liver and gall bladder are nearby. Therefore, their diagnosis is carried out simultaneously. There are certain standards for determining the dimensions of these bodies. Deviations indicate the development of pathology. The following standards are established for the liver:
- The height of the left lobe is up to 10 cm.
- The thickness of the left lobe is about 7 cm.
- The length of the right lobe is up to 5 cm.
- The thickness of the right lobe is 12-13 cm.
- Oblique vertical size - 15 cm.
The tissue structure is also checked. If echogenicity is increased, liver tissue strongly reflects ultrasound. This indicates hepatosis (fatty changes in the structure of the organ). With the advanced stage of this pathology, the vessels of the liver are not detected at all during the examination. If the size of the liver is increased, there is fluid in it, this indicates the presence of cirrhosis.
If the structure of the tissues of the organ is changed in one or more places, this may indicate the development of a neoplasm or abscess.
Considering the features of decoding abdominal ultrasound in adults, the norms of the physical parameters of the gallbladder should be studied separately. A healthy organ has the following parameters:
- Width - 3-5 cm.
- Length - 6-10 cm.
- Volume - 30-79 cm³.
- The wall thickness is 4 mm.
- The form is oval, round, pear-shaped.
- The cavity is smooth.
The growths inside the organ are visible in the image as shadows. Often this indicates the presence of stones. Growths can also be neoplasms. The doctor can determine if they are benign or malignant.
Any deviations in the size of the organ indicate the development of various pathologies. Their character is determined by the doctor.
Pancreas
An examination of the pancreas deserves special attention. Experts compare with the norm, decipher ultrasound of the abdominal cavity in adults and, if possible, make a final diagnosis based on these data.
The study reveals inflammation, neoplasms and other structural changes. The pancreas should have the following dimensions:
- Tail - up to 3 cm.
- Head - up to 3.5 cm.
- The body is up to 2.5 cm.
- The size of the pancreatic duct is 1.5-2 mm.
- The contours are smooth.
- The structure is homogeneous.
- Echogenicity is high.
There should be no growths in the organ. If echogenicity is low, this indicates the development of acute pancreatitis. In the chronic course of the disease, the duct is dilated. In this case, the size of the pancreas is increased. In patients older than 50 years, low echogenicity is not always a sign of pathology. This can be caused by the accumulation of fat in the gland. This is the norm for this age.
If the volume is increased unevenly, this indicates the development of a tumor. Uneven foci on the tissues of the organ can be an abscess, tumors.
Spleen, urinary system
Considering the norms for abdominal ultrasound in adults, one should also consider indicators for the spleen.
In this organ, pathologies are rarely diagnosed. Its parameters should be as follows:
- Width - 5 cm.
- Length - 10-12 cm.
- Thickness - 5 cm.
- The structure is homogeneous.
- There is a vein at the gates of the organ.
If the organ is enlarged, this may indicate problems with the liver or in the circulatory system. Also, the cause of such changes can be parasites or an inflammatory process. Seals in the tissues indicate a heart attack of the organ. This is due to a clot in a vein or a stroke.
The list of organs examined may include kidneys, bladder. The normal sizes of these organs are as follows:
- The width of the kidneys is 5-6 cm.
- Length - 11 cm.
- Thickness - 2.3 cm.
- Shell (parenchyma) - 2.3 cm.
Moreover, in the renal pelvis, ureters there should be no inclusions, tissue changes. The bladder is examined for the presence of stones, sand. If they are, the size and number of stones are determined.
If kidney stones form and then enter the bladder, these are secondary calculi. This indicates the development of urolithiasis. Thickened walls of the bladder indicate the development of an inflammatory process.
Preparation for the procedure
Sometimes the image during the examination may have interference. Due to bloating, flatulence, one cannot well examine the internal organs on an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. How to prepare an adult for the procedure? First of all, you should reconsider your diet. Three days before the examination, a whole list of products is excluded from it.
You can not eat raw vegetables and fruits in the preparation process. Cabbage should be discarded altogether. It can not be eaten during preparation, even in a stew, pickled form. All legumes are also excluded from the diet. From sweet and starchy foods should also be abandoned. Even eating bread is undesirable.
Also, do not eat dairy products, as well as drink carbonated drinks. Chewing gum is prohibited. In the process of chewing, uncontrolled ingestion of air occurs.
Be sure to give up alcohol and smoking. They can affect the test result. If you stop smoking completely hard, reduce the amount of nicotine intake. On the day of the examination, you do not need to smoke at all before the procedure.
What is there before an abdominal ultrasound for an adult? You can eat lean meat or steamed fish. You can eat baked apples. Porridge on water is allowed. Food should be fractional. You can’t overeat. A day you need to drink 1.5 liters of clean water without gas. It is permissible to drink weak tea, but unsweetened. The last meal before the examination should take place no later than 6 hours.
Sparing diet
When considering how to prepare an adult for abdominal ultrasound, it should be noted that in some cases a sparing diet is acceptable. It is prescribed before the examination for people with diabetes, as well as for pregnant women. All others should adhere to the usual recommendations.
Diabetics can eat on the day of the procedure. In the morning you can drink a cup of unsweetened tea, as well as eat a couple of crackers. The diet is developed by the attending physician.
Preparation for abdominal ultrasound in adults can be gentle for women in position. Their body needs a constant supply of nutrients, vitamins. Diet for them is unacceptable. The list of products for this category of patients has been expanded. Dairy products are necessarily added to it in small quantities. You can eat vegetables and fruits, but only processed thermally.
For pregnant women, the procedure is scheduled for early morning. It is allowed to eat 3 hours before the examination. However, having a break of 6 hours is not necessary. It may be difficult for an expectant mother to adhere to a strict diet. Her well-being may get worse due to this.
Medications
Preparation for abdominal ultrasound in adults may involve taking special medications. They will be directed by the doctor if necessary. Not every patient needs this. Similar medications improve digestion. They are prescribed to people who suffer from digestive disorders, increased flatulence. In this case, the doctor may prescribe Smecta, Festal, Mezim, or Enterosgel.
Drugs can have side effects. Therefore, they are prescribed only in case of emergency. At the same time, the characteristics of the patient's body, the presence of pathologies and concomitant diseases are taken into account.
The doctor also needs to be informed if the person is taking certain drugs on an ongoing basis. They can not be abandoned even before the examination. In this case, the medical specialist will take into account the peculiarities of taking the medicine, prescribe the procedure at the most suitable time.
It is worth noting that it is forbidden to take some drugs before the examination. These include No-Shpa, acetylsalicylic acid and aspirin.
In some cases, a laxative is required. It is drunk 12 hours before an ultrasound scan. If the drug did not have time to act, an enema should be delivered a couple of hours before the procedure. If the intestines are full, this may adversely affect the examination.
Other nuances of preparation
Doctors must give recommendations before an abdominal ultrasound in adults. If the urinary system will be examined, the patient should drink 1.5 liters of water before the examination. This is necessary in order to well examine the contents of the kidneys and bladder, ducts.
It is allowed to drink clean water without gas and impurities. It is also allowed to replace it with ordinary tea without sugar. Only it should not be too strong. However, in no case should you replace the water with juice or compote. This can lead to bloating. As a result, interpreting the result can be difficult.
If the patient was performed FDGS, colonoscopy, irrigoscopy or gastrography a few days ago, you should inform your doctor about this. Such procedures make it impossible to obtain an accurate result. Therefore, the procedure will need to be postponed.
Having examined the features and norms of abdominal ultrasound in adults, we can draw conclusions about the features of this procedure. Proper preparation allows you to get an accurate result.