First the abdomen is scanned by means of the convex low-frequency transducer, in order to visualise deeper structures and detect grossly abnormal pathologies, such as significant thickening of intestinal wall, bowel dilatation, and the presence of fistulae or abscesses.
An ultrasound machine sends sound waves into the abdominal area and images are recorded on a computer. The black-and-white images show internal structures such as the appendix, intestines, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and bladder.
Conclusions: Abdominal ultrasound presents high sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV in the diagnosis of colon cancer. The combination of an ultrasonography and a rectoscopy permits us to rule out the presence of a colorectal carcinoma.
CONCLUSION: Ultrasound can play an important role in the identification of small bowel obstructions in ED patients.
Intestinal ultrasound has been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity, as well as high positive and negative predictive value, in the detection or exclusion of intestinal inflammatory activity in IBD.
Obstructed bowel loops appear sonographically to be dilated, thickened wall and fluid filled with hyperechoic spots (gas).
Ultrasound technology cannot find ulcers, but other types of diagnostic tests can. Doctors usually request a test for the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers, an x-ray series or an endoscopy.
Ultrasound may help diagnose medical conditions that involve many parts of the body, such as the: Heart and heart valves. Blood vessels. Organs in the abdomen (belly), including the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, or spleen.
Ultrasound may be used if fluid is found in your abdomen. Ultrasound produces images of organs from high-energy sound waves and echoes to help your care team detect and stage stomach cancer. It may also be used to check for tumors that have spread to other organs.
Compared with colonoscopy and CT scanning, ultrasonography is easily available; does not involve radiation, bowel preparation, or sedation; carries no risk of colonic perforation; and is less expensive than the other methods.
Although ultrasound is clearly not one of the widely accepted screening techniques, this non-invasive and radiation-free modality is also capable of detecting colonic polyps, both benign and malignant. Such colon lesions may be encountered when not expected, usually during general abdominal sonography.
IBS cannot be seen on an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or colonoscopy. Patients who see a gastroenterologist for abdominal pain will often have testing and imaging (most commonly an ultrasound or a CT scan) completed to rule out other causes of abdominal pain.
Studies in the hands of expert bowel sonographers show ultrasound has a sensitivity and specificity of >80% for the diagnosis of diverticulitis.
Contraindications: Besides the superficial heat contraindications listed above, specific ultrasound contraindications include use over the eyes, pregnant uterus, malignant area, near the heart, brain or spine, laminectomy sites, epiphyseal plates of children and patients with pacemakers.
Urogenital tract. Urogenital malformations are the most often diagnosed anomalies with a birth prevalence of 0.5%. Fetal kidneys can be first visualized with ultrasound at 14 weeks of pregnancy beside the spine and by 18 weeks, their structure can be analyzed too [44].
The speed of the blood flow is shown with a color scale. Usually, blood flow away from the probe is shown in blue, while blood flow toward the probe is red.
4 All cancers do not show up on ultrasounds, and in some cases, an ultrasound will not provide enough information for a physician to decide whether or not a mass is malignant, and a biopsy will be recommended. The images below show examples of ultrasound results.
Ultrasounds have some limitations to the structures they can find, and this is usually limited to internal organs. Ultrasounds are not typically ordered for images of bony structures. In contrast, CT scans can provide detailed images of soft tissues, bones, and blood vessels.
Endoscopic Ultrasound
The ultrasound probe uses sound waves to produce images of the body that appear on a computer monitor. Your doctor can detect gallstones or signs of chronic pancreatitis, such as damage to the pancreatic tissue, with this test.
To confirm a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction, your doctor may recommend an abdominal X-ray. However, some intestinal obstructions can't be seen using standard X-rays. Computerized tomography (CT). A CT scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles to produce cross-sectional images.
Symptoms of an intestinal blockage include severe belly pain or cramping, vomiting, not being able to pass stool or gas, and other signs of belly distress.
Constipation. Vomiting. Inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas. Swelling of the abdomen.
IUS monitors Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by showing nearly the entire large intestine (colon) and the end of the small intestine (the terminal ileum).
The findings from the NIHR-funded METRIC study showing that MR and ultrasound can identify the presence, site and activity of Crohn's disease in over 80% of cases will encourage clinicians to use MR and ultrasound to complement ileocolonoscopy in assessing patients with Crohn's disease.