General Body Ultrasounds
Ultrasound is an amazing thing! While most people know about the usual type of ultrasounds, for an unborn fetus, many people don’t realize all of the other things ultrasound can do. We do ultrasound on almost all parts of the body from the head to the toes. From small abscess areas to internal organs we can provide images that allow doctors to help diagnose.
Below are some of the most common ultrasounds and their basic information:
|
Test
|
Reason
|
Preparation
|
Time
|
|
Abdominal
|
Looks at the structure of the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and spleen, pancreas, aorta
|
Fasting for 8 hours No food, water, or gum
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Abdominal Limited
|
Looks at up to 2 of the organs in the abdomen
|
Fasting for 8 hours No food, water, or gum
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Aorta
|
Looks at structure of Aorta to watch for signs of abdominal aortic aneurysm
|
Fasting for 8 hours No food, water, or gum
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Renal
|
Evaluates the Kidneys, Bladder, and Ureters. Also measures void and post void levels.
|
Full Bladder 48+ ounces of water 1 hour prior *NO VOID*
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Hernia
|
Evaluates areas of suspected hernia (bulging organ or tissue)
|
No Prep
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Soft Tissue
|
Evaluates areas of infection, pain, inflammation, swelling, abnormal mass, and/ or lipomas. Achilles tendons etc.
|
No Prep
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Obstetrical (pregnancy)
|
Evaluates pregnancy – growth and development as well as location and EDD
|
Full Bladder 48+ ounces of water 1 hour prior *NO VOID*
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Thyroid/ Head/ Neck
|
Evaluates the Thyroid. Measures size and can evaluate nodules or lumps.
|
No Prep
|
30 Minutes
|
|
Pelvic/ GYN
|
Evaluates the structure of the uterus and ovaries
|
Full Bladder 48+ ounces of water 1 hour prior *NO VOID* (Post-Menopausal- always Transvaginal- no prep)
|
45 Minutes
|
|
Testicular
|
Evaluates the structure of the scrotum and contents and blood flow
|
No Prep
|
30 Minutes
|
*Please understand this chart is just a reference. The exact reason for your ultrasound and/or the prep could vary based upon directions from your physician. Also, the time is just a guideline some ultrasounds may take more or less time.