Ultrasound

How to Prepare for an Ultrasound

Most ultrasounds don’t require special preparation. Your doctor will give you any special instructions to follow before your test. They will also let you know what you can expect during the test. The time it takes to perform the test and what to expect afterward depends on the body area undergoing ultrasound and other factors.

During the Ultrasound

You will lie on a table with the area of your body needing to be examined exposed. The sonographer (technologist who performs the exam) will put a warm water-based gel on your skin. The gel helps to transmit the sound waves by removing air. The sonographer moves a transducer (an instrument about the size of a microphone) over the surface of your skin.  

During certain types of ultrasounds, the sonographer may use additional techniques or equipment to capture ultrasound images.

Getting Your Test Results

The radiology department will send your doctor the results of your ultrasound. You can call your doctor to discuss these results. You can also access your ultrasound results in MyBILH Chart.

Our radiology team offers these types of ultrasound to support diagnosis and treatment across different specialties:

What Is an Abdominal Ultrasound?

An abdominal ultrasound looks at all organs in the abdomen, including the following:  

It also includes a view of the aorta (largest blood vessel in the heart) and retroperitoneum (the space between the abdominal organs and the spine).

Preparing for Abdominal Ultrasound

Don’t eat solid food or drink anything but water for six to eight hours before the exam. You may take your regular medications with a small sip of water. If you are diabetic, consult your doctor.

During the Exam

The abdominal ultrasound will take about 30-60 minutes. It does not cause any pain.

What Is a Pelvic Ultrasound?

A pelvic ultrasound in females looks primarily at the uterus and ovaries, but a pelvic ultrasound can also examine the bladder. In males, the pelvic ultrasound usually focuses on the bladder and the prostate gland.

Preparing For Your Pelvic Ultrasound

You may eat regular meals prior to the exam. The only special preparation is to have a full bladder at the time of the exam. Therefore, you should drink 32 ounces of water (four eight-ounce glasses, or one quart) before the exam. Start drinking it one hour before the exam, and finish drinking it half an hour before the exam. Do not urinate before the exam.

During the Exam

When your doctor needs more detailed views of the uterus, ovaries or surrounding tissues, the sonographer may use a special sterilized high-resolution probe that they insert through the vagina. 

The pelvic ultrasound will take about 30-60 minutes. It will not cause any pain.

Getting Your Results

The results of the scan will be available to your doctor on the day after your exam. If we perform biopsies during the ultrasound, the results are generally available five to seven days after the procedure.

Transvaginal Pelvic Ultrasound

A transvaginal ultrasound is an exam that allows your radiologist to see your pelvic cavity and the organs inside your pelvis (cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries).

What to Expect for Transvaginal Ultrasound

You will lie on an examination table as you did for the pelvic ultrasound exam, with your knees bent and your feet possibly in stirrups. The sonographer will place a condom and lubricating gel on the transducer and gently insert it inside your vagina. If you prefer, you may insert the probe yourself. Once the transducer is inside your body, the sonographer will move the probe from side to side and up and down to take images of your pelvic organs. Once all of the images are taken, the sonographer will remove the probe from your vagina.

Is a Transvaginal Ultrasound Painful?

No, however, some patients experience pressure or discomfort during the exam.

What Is a Small Parts Ultrasound?

Doctors most often order a high-resolution small parts ultrasound to evaluate for possible abnormalities in the following areas: 

• Breast
• Scrotum and testis
• Thyroid and parathyroid glands
  

The study allows your care team to diagnose your condition. They can also use it to guide fine needle aspirations and biopsies of possible abnormalities. 

No special preparation is necessary before a small parts ultrasound.

During the Exam

The small parts ultrasound will take 15 to 20 minutes. It will not cause pain.

What Is an Interventional Ultrasound?

Interventional ultrasound covers a broad category of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including:  

• Biopsies. 
• Cyst aspirations. 
• Drainage of fluid collections in the chest, abdomen and subcutaneous tissues. 

Preparing for Your Interventional Ultrasound

In general, you should avoid eating solid food and liquids other than water for eight hours prior to the examination. You can take your regular medications. If you are diabetic, ask your doctor about your insulin dose.

During the Exam

You may need to undergo a diagnostic ultrasound before you undergo your interventional procedure. The testing time varies from 30 to 90 minutes depending on which type of interventional procedure you are undergoing.  

If you are undergoing certain procedures, you may need to stay at the hospital for up to three hours afterwards for observation. These procedures include: 

• Biopsies of deep abdominal organs. 
• Aspiration of fluid collections in the chest. 

This observation period is for your safety. Your doctor will let you know ahead of time if you can expect to have to stay with us after your test.

Pain During Interventional Ultrasound

You may experience some pain during these procedures. We can perform many of them using local anesthesia, which numbs only the area receiving the test. 

More involved procedures may require administration of painkillers and/or anti-anxiety medications. The most involved procedures generally will involve:  

• Inserting a small intravenous (IV) line.  
• Monitoring by our radiology nursing staff.  
• Administering medications intravenously. 

We make every effort to minimize pain and discomfort during the procedure.

After the Exam

You may have some mild soreness after the procedure. This is usually relatively minimal. If you have received medications, you may feel somewhat drowsy during the recovery period. You should arrange for someone else to accompany you and bring you home after the observation period. This is because you’ll need to avoid operating machinery — including driving — for several hours after the procedure.

Getting Your Results

The results of the scans will be available to your doctor on the day after the exam. If we need to perform biopsies, cultures or other tests on the material we obtained during the ultrasound interventional procedure, this may take up to seven days to complete. You may call your doctor to get your results.