Stomach Ultrasound is prescribed, with specific indications. However, the main reason for such an ultrasound examination is any kind of discomfort in the upper part of the abdominal cavity. This kind of echography helps to determine pathologies in the digestive organs. Most often, such a diagnosis is enough at the first stage with a history of a gastroenterologist.
Such a method as ultrasound is usually used primarily, since it is considered the most comfortable. Moreover, if it is with the help of ultrasound that it turns out to establish the correct diagnosis, then it is no longer necessary to carry out, for example, a not very pleasant gastroscopy. With all this, ultrasound is still not always enough due to the fact that it does not indicate the nature of the current changes. Preparation for ultrasound mainly consists in limiting the use of certain foods the day before, as well as clarifying other questions by the doctor on whether it is possible to drink water before ultrasound of the stomach, how much in volume and how many hours before.
Who is shown stomach ultrasound?
Ultrasound diagnostics of the stomach makes it possible to identify diseases and disorders in the form of gastritis and ulcerative lesions of the mucous membrane, intestinal obstruction and irritable bowel syndrome, polyps, pyloroduodenal stenosis, colitis, impaired intestinal motility, dolichosigma, Crohn’s disease, tumor formations, as well as fecal stones.
Ultrasound of the stomach is prescribed for symptoms by type:
- vomiting not related to poisoning;
- burps and nausea;
- heaviness after eating (in the stomach or in the area of the right hypochondrium);
- heartburn;
- bitter taste in the mouth;
- excessive gas formation;
- pain in the stomach area.
What will the stomach ultrasound?
This method of studying this organ will allow you to determine the presence of foreign objects, the occurrence of hernias, venous dilation, congenital pathologies, changes in lymph nodes, etc.
The main thing that can be done with ultrasound of the stomach is:
- to determine the peristalsis and motility of the intestine together with the stomach;
- indicate the thickness of the muscle tissue, as well as the place of thinning or thickening of the walls;
- identify the amount of fluid in the stomach;
- to study the structure of the gastric walls, determining their possible deformation and thickness;
- confirm or deny the presence of tumor-like neoplasms;
- to establish the correct location of all organs located nearby in the abdominal cavity and their structure.
Also, ultrasound in this case helps to control therapy and monitor dynamics, while correcting treatment if it is absent.
Stomach ultrasound: preparation for the study
If a similar diagnostic manipulation is prescribed to the patient, then the attending physician directly tells about the preparation for ultrasound of the stomach. It begins a few days before the study and consists in following a certain diet. It, in turn, implies a ban on eating food that increases gas formation (these are fresh vegetables and fruits, kefir and other fermented milk, rye bread, carbonated water, beans and peas, cabbage). In addition, the last meal on the eve of the examination should be about 12 hours before the ultrasound. In the morning, you should not drink or eat at all (at most, before an ultrasound of the stomach, you can drink sweet tea in small quantities – for energy and to exclude hungry fainting). It is also highly advisable not to smoke before the study.
Proceeding from this, we note that it is recommended to carry out such manipulations in the morning in order to avoid hunger, because really proper preparation will allow a specialist to qualitatively and well examine the necessary organ, make correct and accurate conclusions, differentiate violations from normally occurring processes and help the attending physician determine an effective therapy plan.
The examination itself is carried out while the patient is lying on his back or (if necessary) takes a semi-sitting position. An ultrasound specialist puts the sensor in place of the epigastric region and visualizes the necessary places, changing the position of the sensor itself as he needs. During the process, both the location and the shape of the organ are evaluated along with the determination of the wall thickness. These are the main criteria by which conclusions are initially drawn, but there are also secondary ones by the type of deformations, the amount of fluid, etc. By the way, the fluid in the stomach should normally be in a small amount. In addition, in some cases, ultrasound diagnostics is performed when the stomach is filled with liquid, namely, a contrast agent mixed with water, which is necessary for a clearer differentiation of pathologies.
Conclusion
It is possible to undergo ultrasound of the stomach in any medical center or clinic where it is provided and where there is appropriate equipment, but first it is important to contact a competent gastroenterologist who, based on anamnesis, will write out a referral for this study.
