Understanding Your Abdominal Ultrasound Test

Your doctor made an abdominal ultrasound appointment for you, and there are several reasons why ultrasound is the exam of choice - the "gold standard." Perhaps you have pain under your ribs and you or your doctor suspect gallstones or inflammation of the pancreas. Perhaps you have Hepatitis C. Or perhaps you have pain on your lower sides (flanks) and your doctor wishes to check for kidney stones.

"Hepar" is an old Greek word for liver; "hepatitis" means liver inflammation (irritation and swelling). "Pancreatitis" means pancreatic inflammation. Ultrasound is better than x-ray, CT, or MRI to check the gallbladder, and many times the liver, pancreas, and kidneys as well.

Hepatitis C can be managed, and regular (or "serial") ultrasounds help accomplish this. You can join your health care team in protecting your health by coming to your ultrasound appointment to monitor changes in your liver and "get ahead of the game."

So, you're wondering, just what the heck IS ultrasound?

Ultrasound uses no radiation, but instead uses sound waves too high to hear (that's the "ultra" part). The technologist moves a small probe over your upper abdomen; sound waves interact with organ tissue, visually reproducing on the screen what they encounter in the body. Areas on the image appear bright or dark. These images are a depiction of the echo the ultrasound makes as it passes through your tissue harmlessly. There have been no demonstrated negative effects of ultrasound at the frequencies used in abdominal exams; your technologist has been thoroughly trained to keep you safe. The small probe does not hurt as it smoothly slides over your skin. Your technologist will have aseptic gel to put on the small surface of the probe so that it will slide easily and record the sound waves accurately. You may be asked to help by holding your breath for a few seconds to bring your liver, kidneys, gallbladder, or spleen into better view.

The liver is a very busy organ, producing bile for digestion of food, helping break down "old" red blood cells, regulating metabolism, synthesizing proteins, making hormones, and filtering out toxins. Liver, kidney, and pancreatic tissue can become damaged by illness or alcohol; an important type of damage is cirrhosis. In cirrhosis, smooth, healthy liver tissue is replaced by fibrosis (nonfunctioning fibrous tissue), scar tissue, and/or nodules. Ultrasound can show the characteristic ridged, nodular appearance of a liver with cirrhosis.

If liver tissue is damaged, it is less available to accomplish its functions throughout the body. Therefore, early detection of any change in liver texture monitors liver health. Your physician will order blood work every time you come in for your ultrasound to assess your liver's functions.

If a gallstone or gallstones are suspected, your doctor will order liver function tests, and your sonographer (ultrasound technologist) will ask you to roll to several positions and possibly stand up or sit erect, to see if the gallstones will move when you do so. Sometimes people have one very large gallstone blocking the gallbladder, whose bile storage is needed to help the liver break down fats and help with digestion; sometimes people have many tiny gallstones. Ultrasound is the best way to detect them.

Together, you and your doctor will determine how and when to plan diet, exercise, and possibly treatment to enhance your health and quality of life.

Kathleen Comalli Dillon, RDMS, specializes in radiology, medical website content and blogs, and her personal favorite, patient advocacy. If you would like to learn more about ultrasound, CT, MRI; if you are not sure about something your doctor told you; if you need to find a good physician; if you have questions about your or a family member's medical condition; or if you need help with site content or social media for your practice, please visit me at http://www.ComalliWrites.com. I look forward to working with you!

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