Abdominal ultrasound: what it shows and how to prepare
· 4 min read
An abdominal ultrasound shows the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen in 10–15 minutes, painlessly. We walk through the case of a man who had to come twice, and explain how to prepare so that one visit is enough
How this usually goes
Yerlan is 45, a driver, lives in a rural district and gets into the city once a week. His GP sent him for an ultrasound: «have a look at the liver». Yerlan took time off a run, arrived at nine in the morning and honestly had not eaten a thing since waking
The trouble was not the morning, it was the evening. The night before, his wife had made a fresh cabbage salad and Yerlan went back for seconds. On the screen the doctor saw not a liver but solid grey haze: gas in the bowel blocks the view completely. You cannot examine a liver that way
The doctor said it straight: a report could be written, but it would say nothing. Yerlan came back a week later — this time only tea from the evening before, and the whole thing took twelve minutes. Liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, report in hand
The second trip cost him a day's work and two hundred kilometres. One conversation the day before would have been enough to avoid it
What people come with
People come for different reasons: some are sent by a doctor, some come on their own — «I have not been checked for a long time». Some want to close everything at once: the abdomen, the kidneys, the thyroid, the pelvic organs. One question almost everyone asks: can the whole list be done in a single appointment
If this is you
- Abdominal ultrasound — is the thyroid thrown in?
- What exactly does the ultrasound look at?
- Can the whole list be done in one appointment?
How it goes
The scan takes 10–15 minutes and needs neither injections nor anaesthesia. The sonographer examines the organs one by one and writes the report straight away. If a gastroenterologist appointment is booked for the same day, the doctor goes through the report with you — that is what «tests and appointment in one visit» means
How to prepare
Come on an empty stomach: no food for 6–8 hours before the scan, and only water after 20:00 the evening before. For a day beforehand cut out everything that causes bloating: cabbage, pulses, fresh bread, fizzy drinks. Gas in the bowel blocks the view, and the doctor will not see the thing you came for. Bring a towel. A bladder ultrasound is the opposite — it needs a full bladder, and you will be told about that in advance
What people ask most
What exactly is examined on an abdominal ultrasound?
The liver, the gallbladder with its ducts, the pancreas and the spleen. The kidneys and the bladder are scanned separately, and so is the thyroid
Can everything be done in one visit?
Yes, several tests are done back to back in one visit. The order is explained when you book: some need an empty stomach, others a full bladder
If I have eaten, will the test be cancelled?
It will not be cancelled, but the picture will be worse and the doctor may ask you to come again. One morning of waiting is easier than two trips
