Doctors have always sought to get the most complete picture of the health of the body. Today they manage to achieve this. After all, an ultrasound study came to the aid of doctors for the correct diagnosis of diseases. It is no secret that the success of treatment depends on a correctly identified pathology. Ultrasound is used to diagnose many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. What is the advantage of such an examination? How to prepare for it correctly? And what will the ultrasound of the stomach show?
Indications for examination
To understand what an ultrasound scan of the stomach shows , you should understand under what conditions the body is prescribed. The examination is recommended for patients in whom:
- ulcer;
- chronic gastritis;
- painful discomfort in the upper abdomen;
- frequent belching or heartburn;
- digestion disorder;
- frequent vomiting.
With periodically recurring bronchitis, bronchial asthma, profuse regurgitation of infants, an ultrasound is also prescribed. Such an examination will provide the doctor with a complete picture of the pathology. It allows you to identify the presence of deviations in the size of the body from the permissible norm. In addition, ultrasound shows the presence of foreign formations, tumors.
Ultrasound Benefits
Some patients have many questions. What will the ultrasound of the stomach show? Why is such a study preferable?
The wide popularity of this survey lies in the following factors:
- it is completely safe;
- ultrasound results are completely reliable;
- the examination is very convenient;
- Ultrasound does not require thorough and lengthy preparation;
- does not apply to expensive procedures.
In the study, ultrasonic waves are used. For humans, they are completely safe. The procedure itself lasts about fifteen minutes. Therefore, it can not negatively affect the patient.
General recommendations
Simple rules to remember. Despite the fact that the patient does not need careful preparation for the examination, on the eve of the ultrasound it is necessary to observe some recommendations. Adhering to them, the patient will make it possible to more effectively diagnose the body.
So, how to prepare for an ultrasound of the stomach? This is easy enough to do. Within three days before the prescribed ultrasound, the patient must follow a special diet. Such nutrition is aimed at eliminating excessive gas formation in the intestine. The diet involves the use of fluid (1.5 liters) during the day, fractional eating. At the same time, you need to eat in small portions.
Excluded Products
Refuse food, which can increase gas formation in the intestines, before an ultrasound of the stomach. Preparation involves the exclusion of the following products:
- peas, beans;
- raw fruits, vegetables;
- muffin, brown bread;
- a variety of sweets;
- fatty meat and fish products;
- carbonated drinks;
- dairy products;
- juices, coffee;
- alcohol.
In addition, there are several more recommendations. Mint sweets or chewing gum should not be used right before the procedure.
Patients should understand that smoking causes cramping in the stomach. As a result, the patient may be diagnosed incorrectly.
Consumed products
Doctors recommend choosing the following food before the procedure:
- fish (boiled or steamed);
- scrambled eggs;
- chicken or beef;
- low-fat cheese;
- cereal cereals cooked in water.
Medications and procedures
Preparing the body for ultrasound may include taking certain medications:
- Drugs that reduce gas formation. This is activated carbon, Simethicon. If the choice fell on the last drug, then it should begin to be taken the day before the ultrasound. And always in the morning before the examination.
- Digestive drugs. Preparations "Festal", "Mezim".
- Laxatives. People suffering from constipation, the day before the procedure, you need to take the herbal preparation Senade.
A couple of days before the ultrasound, it is recommended to clean the intestines with an enema.
The procedure for preparing for the study is quite simple. However, it does not apply to mandatory recommendations. However, its compliance allows you to more accurately diagnose the condition of the body.
Survey
The procedure is usually prescribed in the morning. An ultrasound of the stomach is performed on an empty stomach. The patient should have non-carbonated water (1 liter) or juice. Before performing an ultrasound, the doctor may recommend drinking liquid. This will allow you to stretch the stomach so that the doctor can better examine the condition of the walls, shape, functioning and pathological changes.
How do ultrasound of the stomach? The patient is advised to lie on the couch. An aqueous gel is applied to the abdomen. This allows the remaining air to be displaced between the sensor and the skin. The examination begins. The doctor leads the sensor along the abdomen, pressing it at a variety of angles.
After a while, it is recommended to drink water through the tube. This procedure allows you to consider the flow of fluid into the stomach from the esophagus. In addition, the lower sections of the esophagus are more clearly visualized. The procedure itself lasts about half an hour.
The patient receives ultrasound results immediately after the examination. The conclusion is printed on letterhead. It is signed by a doctor and affixed to the institution. In addition, the results are recorded on a CD. Such a measure allows the attending physician to see all the described changes. Useful recording in the case of repeated ultrasound. The doctor will be able to better assess all the changes that occurred during the course of the disease.
Ultrasound is not recommended after the following examinations:
- FGDS;
- colonoscopy;
- gastrography;
- irrigoscopy.
Research results
Ultrasound of the stomach is not able to replace endoscopic or radiological examination. However, it gives an idea of the state of the walls of the organ, its external contours, helps to control the regression or relapse of the pathological process.
So, what does an ultrasound of the stomach show? It completely studies the functions and reveals reflexivity. Ultrasound will provide information about the thickness of the walls of the stomach, inflammatory processes, tumors. The study will reliably clarify the localization of the pathology, will allow to study the blood flow, to distinguish small structures. Such a survey provides answers to many questions.
Ultrasound of the stomach is able to detect the following conditions:
- neoplastic diffuse thickening of the wall;
- hypertrophic congenital pyloric stenosis;
- swelling of the walls;
- varicose veins;
- tumor aberrant vessels;
- stomach ulcer ;
- acquired pyloric stenosis;
- tumors;
- lack of demarcation of walls;
- carcinoma of the stomach;
- mesinchymal tumor;
- lymphoma of the stomach.
Opinions of patients and doctors
Most people refer to effective gastric ultrasound procedures. Patient reviews indicate that many people do not understand the features of this examination. When faced with him for the first time, people ask a lot of different questions, including asking about what an ultrasound scan of the stomach shows.
Patients who have undergone this examination are surprised to note that a variety of different conditions are very easily and simply detected. Doctors agree with this opinion. After all, ultrasound allows you to identify quite serious pathologies in the early stages. At the same time, the simplicity of the method and the safety make it possible to examine almost all patients.