Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
As a diagnostic imaging technique, a normal abdominal ultrasound is one that indicates the absence of the suspected condition that prompted the scan. For example, symptoms such as abdominal pain radiating to the back suggest the possibility of, among...
other things, an abdominal aortic aneurysm. An ultrasound scan that indicates the absence of an aneurysm would rule out this life-threatening condition and point to other, less serious causes.
Because abdominal ultrasound imaging is generally undertaken to confirm a suspected condition, the results of a scan often will confirm the diagnosis, be it kidney stones, cirrhosis of the liver, or an aortic aneurysm. At that point, appropriate medical treatment as prescribed by a patient's physician is in order.
Ultrasound scanning should be performed by a registered and trained ultrasonographer, either a technologist or a physician (radiologist, obstetrician/gynecologist). Ultrasound scanning in the emergency department may be performed by an emergency medicine physician, who should have appropriate training and experience in ultrasonography.
Advertisement
The ROSE procedure helps patients that have had gastric bypass surgery but are starting to gain weight again. As the video shows, the procedure is "incisionless" because it is performed endoscopically with a thin tube placed down the esophagus. The stomach and esophagus are narrowed as a result of the ROSE procedure.
An ultrasound screen shows a patient's kidney. (Photograph by Brownie Harris. The Stock Market. Reproduced by permission.)
Search
Other Information
Abdominal ultrasound is an imaging procedure used to examine the internal organs of the abdomen including the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, and kidneys. The blood vessels to some of these organs can also be evaluated with the use of ultrasound techniques.
The ultrasound machine sends out high-frequency sound waves that reflect off body structures to create a picture. Unlike with x-rays, there is no ionizing radiation exposure with this test.
From http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003777.htm
Other Information
Biliary colic is the presenting symptom in 80% of patients with gallstone disease who seek medical care; however, only 10-20% of all individuals with gallstones experience severe gallstone pain.
From: eMedicine
Find a Qualified Specialist
Looking for a specialist?
Please enter your zip code.