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Ultrasound examination
What you need to know:
What you need to know:
Dear Patient,
You have been referred to us by your doctor for an ultrasound examination, abdominal ultrasound, gastrointestinal ultrasound or contrast-enhanced ultrasound (abdominal contrast-enhanced ultrasound). We would like to explain how this procedure works and what you need to know as a patient:
An ultrasound examination is an imaging method that allows us to look at your internal abdominal organs without x-rays.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound uses an intravenous contrast agent and makes it easier to assess/differentiate tumours of the liver and other internal organs (e.g. kidneys, spleen and pancreas).
In preparation:
Patients find ultrasound examinations to be a comfortable experience. If you are having an abdominal ultrasound or contrast-enhanced ultrasound you must not eat any food 4 hours before the examination and stop drinking 2 hours before. For abdominal ultrasound (without a contrast agent) it is beneficial to have a full bladder. No special preparation is needed for gastrointestinal ultrasound.
Procedure:
You can expect your ultrasound appointment to last about 30–45 minutes. Abdominal ultrasound: Using an ultrasound probe, the organs in your abdominal area are gently examined without any pain through the abdominal wall.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (abdominal contrast-enhanced ultrasound): In contrast-enhanced ultrasound, a contrast agent is also injected into your vein. Generally, this is not considered painful. The agent increases the reflection density within the blood vessels. During the examination a transducer is placed (on the skin) on the organ being investigated. The technique is ideally for monitoring purposes as it is extremely gentle.