State budgetary healthcare institution "Volgograd Regional Uronephrology Center"

An examination by a doctor and the medical history collected during an appointment are often not enough to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Especially when it comes to the abdominal cavity. The location of internal vital organs does not make it possible to make an accurate diagnosis, or confirm it without instrumental diagnostics. To obtain the most informative results from the study, it is necessary to properly prepare for the examination procedure. We tell you how to do this.

In what cases is ultrasound of the abdominal organs prescribed?

In comparison with other studies - x-rays and CT scans, ultrasound is completely safe and can be prescribed to children from birth, and in adults it can be carried out without time intervals between diagnostics. Ultrasound gives an idea not only of pathologies in a specific organ, but also allows you to measure it, assess the condition of tissues and structure. Referrals for this study are issued by therapists, general practitioners and almost all specialized specialists: from gynecologists and urologists to neurologists.

Ultrasonic waves allow you to determine:

• size;
• shape;
• integrity;
• compliance with anatomical standards;
• location;
• contractility;
• level of peristalsis of the abdominal organs.

Ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs may be required in the process of comprehensive diagnosis of the following systems of the human body:

Preparation for ultrasound examinations

Ultrasound diagnostic method

Due to its high information content, speed of execution, the possibility of repeated repetition without harm to health and not requiring complex preparation from the patient, it occupies one of the leading places among other research methods. It is undoubtedly considered a search method and quite often the method of choice in diagnosing diseases.

It is necessary to have the results of previous ultrasounds with you (to assess the dynamics), if any.

Preparation for ultrasound of the abdominal organs and visceral vessels.

To make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to properly prepare for the study.

• 2-3 days before the study, you need to change your diet. Foods that cause increased gas formation (raw vegetables and fruits, legumes, brown bread, dairy products, carbonated drinks) are excluded from the diet. If you are prone to flatulence, the doctor may prescribe espumisan or activated charcoal, 2 tablets each. 3 times a day 2 days before the test, and in order to improve digestion - enzyme preparations.
• If you are prone to constipation, the doctor may prescribe a laxative or a cleansing enema, which is performed two days (not one day or the day before, but two days) before the ultrasound.
• On the eve of the procedure, you can have dinner no later than 20:00; the evening meal should be light.
• The study is carried out on an empty stomach.
• If the ultrasound is scheduled for the second half of the day (after 14:00), then calculate so that the last meal is six hours before the ultrasound (a light breakfast is allowed until 11 am)
• To determine the contractile function of the gallbladder, gallbladder functional test

  , which complements the main examination of the abdominal organs, i.e. after the main study, a choleretic breakfast is taken: sour cream 20%, full-fat yogurt, and the gallbladder is examined again for 30-40 minutes (sometimes additional examination is required).

• Smoking - can distort the results of a gallbladder study; nicotine leads to its contraction

Kidney ultrasound

It is not carried out on an empty stomach. You may take food and liquids on the day of the test. If the patient has increased gas formation and excess weight, 3 days before the test, exclude brown bread, whole milk, raw fruits and vegetables from the diet. If necessary, during these days, take medications that improve digestion (mezim, festal) and reduce gas formation (activated carbon, espumizan) according to the regimen included with the medications.

Preparation for ultrasound examination of the bladder and pelvic ultrasound with an abdominal probe in men and women.

1.5-2 hours before the examination, drink 800 ml -1 liter of any liquid (tea, water, fruit drink) and arrive at the appointed time of the examination with a full bladder. If it is impossible to tolerate and there is a strong urge to urinate, it is permissible to empty the bladder a little to relieve tension and drink a little liquid again to achieve complete filling of the bladder by the time of the examination.

TRUS of the prostate gland is one of those diagnostic methods that require special training:

You must have a bowel movement no later than 4 hours before the test. If the study is scheduled for the first half of the day, then you can have a bowel movement the night before; if in the afternoon or evening, you can have a bowel movement early in the morning on the day of the test.

The stool can be independent, or you can use a cleansing enema in a volume of 500 ml of water at room temperature. If this is difficult, you can use microenemas such as “Norgalax” or “Microlax”: insert the contents of a small tube in a lying position into the rectum (best on the right side). After a short time, go to the toilet. A glycerin suppository is inserted through the anus while lying on your side or back; when the urge occurs, go to the toilet.

To examine the bladder and determine residual urine, it is necessary to fill the bladder. Recommended 1-1.5 hours in advance. Before the examination, drink 4 glasses of non-carbonated water, after which you do not urinate until the examination.

Examination of the pelvic organs in women is carried out transvaginally. This procedure does not require any preliminary preparation.

To obtain accurate diagnostic results, it is advisable to undergo examination within a certain time frame. Thus, in women of reproductive age, pelvic ultrasound is performed on the 5-7th day of the cycle (counting from the first day of menstruation) - it is during this period that the clinical picture is most clearly presented.

In the morning, if necessary, empty your bowels. Empty your bladder before the test. On the day of the examination, you can take food and liquid; the examination is not carried out on an empty stomach.

Preparation for ultrasound of the mammary glands in women and mammary glands in men is not required:

It is advisable to carry out examination of the mammary glands in women of reproductive age in the first 6-11 days of the menstrual cycle (1st phase of the cycle).

Ultrasound of the thyroid gland:

Remove jewelry, chains from the neck, large earrings.

Avoid tight, narrow, high collars.

Echocardiography of the heart

No special preparation is required. Bring with you a recent ECG (no more than 1 month old) and the results of previous EchoCGs (if performed).

Duplex examination of the vessels of the neck, head, upper and lower extremities

.

Remove jewelry, chains from the neck, large earrings.

Avoid tight, narrow, high collars.

How is an abdominal ultrasound performed?

Ultrasound diagnostics allows you to visualize internal organs and tissues on the screen. To do this, the patient lies down on the couch. A hypoallergenic gel, safe for health, is applied to his stomach, which ensures a stable connection between the ultrasound sensor and the human body, prevents the penetration of air and allows the device to move unhindered over the skin. The doctor moves the sensor across the abdomen and records the data in an electronic protocol. The procedure takes from 20 minutes to an hour.

The main difficulty that specialists face when conducting ultrasound diagnostics of the abdominal cavity is gas bubbles that prevent the penetration of ultrasonic waves to the examined organ. Reducing gas formation allows you to obtain reliable data about the organs and tissues of the abdominal cavity.

How to eat properly?

So, is it worth having a snack before an ultrasound ? The answer is no.

Ultrasound examination is performed on an empty stomach. That is why it is better not to eat for 9 hours before the procedure and not to drink for 2 hours. For children, the fasting time before an ultrasound is reduced depending on their age. For example, newborn babies are recommended not to eat until 3 hours, children under 3 years old - for 4 hours, and children over 3 but under 12 should not eat food for 7 hours before an ultrasound. It is also recommended to stop drinking an hour before the procedure.

Abdominal ultrasound: rules

People with serious health problems should disregard these instructions. For example, fasting is contraindicated for people with diabetes. That is why before the ultrasound session they are recommended to have a small snack in the form of a glass of tea and a piece of white bread, slightly dried. You need to eat food slowly, slowly, without talking to anyone, so as not to swallow a lot of air.

The day before the procedure, you need to drink one and a half liters of liquid. You can drink still water, weakly brewed herbal teas or decoctions, unsweetened compotes and jelly. On the eve of the ultrasound examination, you should not overeat. Dinner should consist of stewed vegetables or salad. It is better not to eat meat and fish. You can eat a small piece of boiled chicken. It is better to skip breakfast on the day of the procedure. If you did have a light breakfast, then a few hours before going to the doctor it is recommended to take adsorbents.

Diet before kidney ultrasound

Kidney ultrasound is one of the safest diagnostic methods. Ultrasound can detect virtually any abnormal processes and diseases of the renal apparatus. Other prerogative aspects of the procedure include:

• lack of direct contact of medical instruments with the organ (non-invasive);
• absolute painlessness of the process;
• no contraindications to the examination (with the exception of damage to the epidermis in the area of ​​the examined organs);
• insignificant time costs for the procedure;
• high information content.

The last point is largely ensured by proper preparation. To get objective results, you should know what to do before a kidney ultrasound. Separate examination of the kidneys is rarely performed. For the most part, an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity with kidneys or an ultrasound of the urinary system is prescribed. Based on this, preliminary preparation for the procedure is carried out.

The main recommendations for preparing for a kidney examination using ultrasound are aimed at correcting nutrition a few days before the procedure. For people who have difficulty with regular bowel movements and flatulence, preparation should begin 5-7 days in advance; for other patients, three days will be enough.

About food

Changing your eating habits will make it easier for your organs to function. An unloaded digestive system and kidneys are easier to study. This will help the doctor make the most accurate diagnosis possible. The diet is made up of products that are easily processed by the digestive tract.

You can eat the following ready-made meals and products:

• porridges cooked in water (milk and cream bases are excluded);
• chicken, turkey, rabbit, lean fish, cooked by stewing or boiling;
• cheese and cottage cheese with low fat content;
• boiled or stewed vegetables;
• boiled eggs;
• light, non-rich soups.

It is strictly forbidden to drink any alcohol-containing drinks.
The diet before an ultrasound of the kidneys is aimed, first of all, at avoiding foods that provoke flatulence. The accumulation of gases in the intestinal cavity is an obstacle to the free passage of ultrasound, and distorts the image of the digestive organs and urinary system on the monitor of the ultrasound machine.

Before the study, you should exclude from your diet:

• legume source of vegetable protein (peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans);
• pickled, raw, pickled cabbage;
• whole fresh milk;
• yeast baked goods;
• fruits: pears, apples, grapes;
• raw vegetables: radishes, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes;
• sweet dessert dishes;
• chocolate;
• sausage, frankfurters;
• whole grain flour products, including bread.

The consumption of heavy foods is also subject to restrictions. Not recommended: fatty pork, fish and meat prepared by smoking, potato dishes, canned foods, including marinades and pickles, fatty mayonnaise-based sauces and ketchups, seeds, dried fruits, any nuts.

Preparing for an ultrasound examination of the kidneys and adrenal glands

Dietary nutrition for 2–6 days will allow the doctor to assess in detail the condition of the abdominal cavity and kidneys, and speed up the examination process itself. Meals include small portions at 3-4 hour intervals.

The culinary method of processing food by frying is not recommended. Meat, vegetables, fish should be boiled, stewed or baked in foil, and steam cooking should also be used. Herbal and vitamin decoctions will be useful.

The main question of the preparatory period is whether it is possible to eat before an ultrasound? In the case when an ultrasound examination of the kidneys is prescribed in conjunction with ultrasound diagnostics of the abdominal cavity, it is necessary to maintain a fasting regime of 8 to 12 hours. During this time, the gastrointestinal tract will have time to process food. In this case, the evening meal should be light and consist of easily digestible dishes.

This can be any water-based porridge, boiled or steamed fish of not very fatty varieties (pollock, hake), stewed vegetables (excluding cabbage). Is it possible to eat before an ultrasound of the kidneys, when a separate examination of these organs is performed? If the ultrasound is scheduled for the afternoon, a breakfast that is easy on the stomach is allowed. When diagnosing in the morning, it is better to refuse breakfast.

For preschool children, the food restriction before diagnosis is at least five hours. Breastfed babies are examined no later than half an hour after feeding.

To avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you should not overeat after the procedure.

A large meal after a diet can cause dyspepsia (painful and difficult digestion) and difficulties with bowel movements.

Limiting certain foods is necessary to prevent gas formation in the intestines.

About the liquid

The drinking regime during the preparatory period should be plentiful and regular. You are allowed to drink water, green or weak black tea, diluted fruit drinks and juices without pulp. It is prohibited to consume sweet soda and kvass containing yeast, as these drinks provoke gas formation. Immediately before diagnosis, the bladder should be full.

This recommendation is especially relevant if examination of this organ is planned along with the kidneys. It would be a good idea to prepare water in advance so that you can drink it immediately before the ultrasound diagnostic room.

Additional recommendations

You should quit smoking within a few hours. Also, do not chew gum or suck on hard candies as they may release gastric juice. When diagnosing kidneys, you need to drink 0.5 liters of water half an hour before the procedure.

Following these rules on the eve of the procedure will help identify organ dysfunctions and prescribe effective treatment. You can visit a doctor, get an ultrasound and get tested in Rostov-on-Don at the medical office. The clinic has modern equipment to obtain accurate data.

You can make an appointment by calling the 24-hour hotline! You can call 24/7