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Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a radiation-free procedure. An ultrasound is a test that uses high frequency sound waves to form images of your internal organs. The reflected sound wave echoes are recorded and displayed as a real-time visual image. Ultrasound is a safe, painless, and non-invasive procedure. Ultrasound is a useful way of examining many of the body’s organs including the heart, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, uterus, ovaries, and the developing fetus. This type of testing is also capable of showing movement of internal tissues and organs, enabling the physician to see blood flow and heart valve functions.
Doppler, a specialized form of ultrasound, can detect blood flow and is helpful in detecting blockages in the blood vessels of the neck as well as blood clots in the legs. Ultrasound imaging is also used for guiding biopsies of various tissues, such as the thyroid, breast and prostate gland.
Preparing for an Ultrasound
Patients having an exam of the Abdomen, Gallbladder, Pancreas, Liver, Kidneys or Aorta are to have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the evening prior to the exam. Medications can be taken with a very small amount of water.
Pelvis and OB (fetal) ultrasound up to 4 months – Patients must arrive with a full bladder. You must eat breakfast and lunch if you have an afternoon appointment. Two hours prior to the appointment, drink 40 oz. of clear liquids. Do not empty your bladder until after the exam is completed.
Prostate ultrasounds – 1 ½ hours prior to examination, give yourself a Fleets water enema. After the enema, drink 4 glasses of non-carbonated liquid. Do not empty your bladder until after the exam is completed.
Ultrasounds of the breast, thyroid or testicle - No preparation to follow
If you are scheduled for a biopsy please contact our office at (810) 244-5450 for instructions.
During an Ultrasound
The patient will lie on a table while the technologist performs the exam. The technologist will apply a gel and move a handheld transducer over the surface of the skin and take images of the area of concern.
For some ultrasound exams, specialized internal probes are used. For example, a transvaginal probe may be used for a pelvic ultrasound to create the most detailed images of the uterus and ovaries. During a prostate ultrasound, a probe will be inserted into the rectum to take lengthwise images of the prostate.
Following an Ultrasound
The patient can eat and resume normal activity following an ultrasound. One of our radiologists will interpret the exam and send the results to the patient's physician.
