Abdominal ultrasound

An abdominal ultrasound uses reflected sound waves to produce a picture of the organs and blood vessels in the upper belly. These include your liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and major blood vessels like the aorta. The sound waves create a picture on a video monitor.

An ultrasound can be done to:

• Find out what's causing belly pain—a gallstone, for example.
• Look at a lump or mass that was found in a prior exam and, in some cases, tell what it is.
• Check for problems in the liver and kidneys.
• Look for changes in an aortic aneurysm, a bulging section in the wall of the large artery that carries blood out of the heart.
• Find fluid in the belly.
• Guide needles or other medical instruments in treatment.

• Your child lies down on an exam table.
• The doctor or technologist puts some warm gel on your child's belly. The gel will help transmit the sound waves. A small handheld unit called a transducer is pressed against your child's belly and is moved back and forth. A picture of the organs and blood vessels can be seen on a video screen.
• Your child will need to lie still. They may be asked to take a breath and hold it for several seconds during the scan.
• Your child may be asked to change positions so more scans can be done.

What you need to do depends on the reason for the ultrasound. For example:

• If you are having your liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas checked, you may need to eat a fat-free meal on the evening before the test. Then you may need to avoid eating for 8 to 12 hours before the test.
• For a test of the kidneys, you may be asked to drink 4 to 6 glasses of liquid about an hour before the test. This is to fill your bladder. You may need to avoid eating for 8 to 12 hours before the test to avoid gas buildup in the intestines. Gas could affect the results of the kidney ultrasound.
• If you are having your aorta checked, you may need to avoid eating for 8 to 12 hours before the test.

Normal:

• The organs have a normal size, shape, and texture. No abnormal growths are seen. No fluid is in the belly.
• The aorta looks normal. No aneurysms are seen.
• The thickness of the gallbladder wall is normal. The size of the bile ducts is normal. No gallstones are seen.
• No kidney stones are seen. The system that drains the kidneys is not blocked.

Abnormal:

• An organ looks abnormal. It may be smaller than normal. A growth may press against it or may be seen in an organ. Or fluid may be seen in the belly cavity. These things may be due to inflammation, infection, or other diseases.
• The aorta is enlarged or an aneurysm is seen.
• The liver looks abnormal. This may point to liver disease (such as cirrhosis or cancer).
• The walls of the gallbladder are thickened, or fluid is found around the gallbladder. These may point to inflammation. The bile ducts may be enlarged. Or gallstones may be seen.
• The kidneys or the ureters are enlarged because urine does not drain as it should. Kidney stones are seen. (But not all stones can be seen with ultrasound.)
• An area of infection or a fluid-filled cyst is seen inside an organ. Or the spleen may be ruptured.