Is it possible using an ultrasound? Ultrasound of which organs is performed on women - ideal screening for women's health

Modern diagnostic equipment has huge opportunities. As honored professors say today: “If we had such equipment half a century ago, we would now be able to treat all diseases.” One of the most popular diagnostic methods today is ultrasound examination.

Popularity Ultrasound is due, first of all, to the availability of the method - ultrasound machines are now available in almost all clinics, in contrast to, for example, equipment for computer and magnetic resonance imaging. Secondly, today ultrasound machines make it possible to visualize a “picture” with high resolution, which means it is very clear. This ensures the reliability of the studies: in terms of accuracy, specificity and sensitivity, studies using modern ultrasound machines are not inferior to computed tomography. Thirdly, the ultrasound method makes it possible to conduct research repeatedly without causing harm to the patient: there is no radiation. Ultrasound, as the name suggests, is a normal high-frequency sound wave. Passing through the tissues of the body, this wave is converted into an electrical signal, as a result of which an image appears on the monitor.

Today Ultrasound used for screening studies, during an individual examination of a patient for a final diagnosis, as well as in surgical practice - minimally invasive operations are performed under ultrasound control. Using ultrasound, almost all organs and systems are examined - from the liver, kidneys and gall bladder to the eyes and blood vessels. By the way, this method is used especially widely today for studying the heart and blood vessels.

People are now learning more and more about atherosclerosis, varicose veins, and blood clots in blood vessels, and ultrasound plays an important role in identifying these disorders. Using this method, it is possible to identify various pathologies and heart defects, detect blood clots in blood vessels, the presence of which is a direct path to heart attacks and strokes. Cold extremities, intermittent claudication, pain in the legs when walking - all this may be a sign of insufficient blood supply to the lower extremities. This diagnosis can be confirmed or refuted using ultrasound.

And during pregnancy Ultrasound diagnostics allows you to detect fetal malformations, identify congenital diseases in the womb, and predict the course of pregnancy and childbirth. Transvaginal ultrasound, which is performed using special vaginal sensors, is considered more informative. For example, it is quite difficult to determine an ectopic pregnancy using the usual abdominal method, but it is simple using the transvaginal method.

How long should it be carried out? Ultrasound for pregnant women is 8-12 weeks, depending on the woman’s health condition. All women, not only pregnant women, are recommended to have an ultrasound scan twice a year, even if they have no reason to worry. Gynecologists give a referral for an ultrasound scan to get a complete overview, evaluate the anatomical features of the female organs, and identify foci of endometriosis, fibroids, polyps and other diseases of the uterus and ovaries. Ultrasound does not recognize only acute and chronic inflammation of the genital organs. Women should also have an ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries before starting oral contraceptives and 3 months after the first dose.

Of course, it is impossible to say that only one Ultrasound sufficient to make a diagnosis. In any case, the examination should be comprehensive and include several research methods (for example, laboratory tests). However, in some cases, the ultrasound method actually has 100% reliability. These are urolithiasis, tumors of the genitourinary system, pathologies of the kidneys, and prostate gland. For example, transrectal ultrasound with access through the intestine makes it possible to determine any pathology of the prostate gland, including common prostate adenoma.

Finally, Ultrasound traditionally used for screening examinations. There is no point in waiting for the doctor to prescribe such screening: the doctor has many patients, but everyone has the same health. Regular diagnostics will help to identify emerging diseases in time and take action. To do this, it is recommended to visit an ultrasound room once a year to examine the abdominal organs (liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen), kidneys and adrenal glands, thyroid gland, bladder, mammary glands and pelvic organs for women and prostate gland for men. And most importantly, it's not scary at all. Ultrasound is considered one of the most pleasant diagnostic methods because it does not cause any discomfort.

In general, for the purpose of prevention, everyone needs to do Ultrasound once a year. If the results of an ultrasound examination reveal some kind of pathology, you will have to undergo an ultrasound scan more often - as many times as the doctor prescribes, taking into account the clinical symptoms of the disease.

Video lesson Ultrasound of the breast is normal

N Is it really possible to do an ultrasound? More than once it occurred to a person holding a referral for the procedure in his hands.

Ultrasounds are performed on almost everyone, from birth to advanced age. You just need to remember - ultrasound is a medical procedure, it should only be done as prescribed by a doctor.

What is ultrasound, is it necessary to do it, is it dangerous to health:

The ultrasound transmitter emits ultrasonic waves at 3.5 MHz - a high frequency. It is believed that such waves are not perceived at all by the human ear.

During the procedure, the waves hit the object of examination, are reflected from the object and then enter the receiver (receiving device).

Appears as images on the monitor screen.

If the expectant mother is examined, the baby, its skeletal system, and internal organs are visible.

The following examination methods are performed using ultrasound:

• Echography.
• Dopplecardiography.

The examination is done with two directed beams of waves:

• Absent-minded.
• Directed.

The doctor himself decides which waves to conduct the examination.

To determine the baby's heartbeat, a more intensified, directed beam of waves is used. The rule is not to direct its waves at the baby’s head. The duration is reduced to a couple of minutes.

How to determine the effect of ultrasound on your body, whether it is necessary:

• It depends on the sensitivity of the tissue of the subject.
• Time and intensity of impact on the body.

Ultrasound has harmful effects at exposure intensity greater than 10 W/cm.

1. In this case, the tissues of the subject are heated.
2. The formation of liquid and gas bubbles is added.

It is believed that waves with a force of 0.05 to 0.25 W/cm do not heat tissues, but whether the formation of gas and liquid bubbles occurs is unknown.

When studying this phenomenon, it was found that the doctors performing the procedure experienced tingling sensations,

Many experts consider the ultrasound procedure to be harmless. It can be used many times without harming your health.

There are more and more contrary opinions. It has been noticed that during an ultrasound examination, the fetus in the womb behaves very violently during the procedure.

Intense movements are noted. It was previously stated that humans cannot perceive the sound of an ultrasound machine’s frequency.

Doctors of America. Japan began to restrict this procedure due to an unrecognized risk to the baby.

Let it be theoretical, but if doubts arose, they stopped prescribing ultrasound without the need for examination.

Theories have been put forward about the impact of ultrasound on chromosomes and their adverse effects.

Mutations of the embryo may occur, growth retardation, changes obtained at the microscopic level - established in experimental animals.

Doctors were alarmed by the fact that mothers who underwent an ultrasound procedure several times had fewer babies than mothers who had it done only once at 18 weeks.

Scientists closely monitored the development of such children, but absolutely no deviations in their development were identified.

Modern ultrasound machines reduce the time of examination. The images are of higher quality.

Why do you need to do an ultrasound:

Let's look at the example of a pregnant woman, why she needs an ultrasound examination.

First:

1. To determine the location of the fetus (uterus or abdominal cavity).
2. The very fact of pregnancy.
3. Gestational age and number of embryos.
4. The correctness of its development.
5. Anomalies in development or death.
6. Images of the embryo are visible at 7-8 weeks.
7. Image of the fertilized egg at 5–6 weeks.
8. At week 10, it is possible to register fetal movement.
9. The sex of the fetus is determined from 24 weeks to 34.

Second:

To study the placenta: its position, size, condition. This is very important for determining the exchange of blood between the fetus and the mother.

Third:

Mandatory measurement of the pelvis, assessment of the condition of the female birth canal. This eliminates obstacles to natural childbirth due to reason or deformation of the pelvis.

Fourth:

Timely detection of fetal malformations: cardiovascular, nervous system in the early stages of female pregnancy. This is relevant up to 20 weeks, the possibility of termination of pregnancy is taken into account.

Thanks to ultrasound, it is possible to exclude the birth of children with severe defects.

How necessary is ultrasound, why is ultrasound needed:

It is better not to do an ultrasound unless absolutely necessary; for example, the baby’s heartbeat can be checked with a fetoscope. To determine its position and presentation, you just need the competent hands of an obstetrician.

But, in some cases, an ultrasound examination is simply necessary:

1. If the family has children born with severe defects and developmental anomalies.
2. Predisposition to inherited diseases.
3. A pregnant woman was exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals.
4. Severe viral diseases and infections suffered by the mother. Chronic maternal disease: phenylketonuria.
5. The doctor suspects a female placenta previa or suspects a premature abruption of the female placenta.
6. Suspicion of an ectopic pregnancy, possible non-developing pregnancy or delay in fetal development.

Here we are already talking about the health of mother and child, and examination is simply necessary. It is difficult to find an alternative to ultrasound for this.

The answer suggests itself: is it necessary to do an ultrasound? In some cases, it is simply necessary, but without need it is not at all necessary.

The choice is up to you and your doctor. Good luck.

Watch the video on why to do an ultrasound:

The most informative method for diagnosing stomach diseases is, of course, gastroscopy. It allows you to carefully examine the walls of the organ and take tissue for analysis. This allows an accurate diagnosis to be made in most cases. However, other methods are also used for examination. One of them is ultrasound of the stomach.

What is this procedure?

Typically, the ultrasound method is used to examine parenchymal organs or those filled with fluid. If we talk about the organs of the abdominal cavity, this includes the spleen, pancreas, gall bladder and its ducts, liver, and blood vessels. The kidneys are also usually examined, although they are not actually abdominal organs.

Is it possible to examine the stomach using ultrasound?

Usually the cavities of the stomach and intestines are filled with air, which makes it difficult to discern their features. However, an ultrasound of the stomach allows you to see something, in particular, to detect a violation of the motor-evacuation function (movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract), to assess the condition of the blood vessels and adjacent lymph nodes.

An ultrasound of the stomach can examine the area of ​​the greater and lesser curvature. The body of the stomach is partially visible. The pyloric cave and the pyloric canal, the pyloric sphincter (the junction with the duodenum) and the ampulla of the duodenum are clearly visualized.

What is good about the ultrasound method?

This procedure, unlike an x-ray examination, for example, shows the organ from different points. And if compared with gastroscopy, it can be noted that ultrasound of the stomach allows us to examine what is happening in the thickness of the tissue. This helps make the correct diagnosis for some forms of cancer and polyps.

With good preparation and proper implementation, the ultrasound method is quite informative, as it helps to assess the condition of all abdominal organs as a whole. Indeed, often against the background of chronic gastritis, biliary dyskinesia or secondary changes in the pancreas are diagnosed.

Flaws

It is impossible to take tissue and physiological fluids (mucus, gastric juice) for analysis with this method. Ultrasound also does not show the degree of change in the mucous membrane. In this regard, FGDS is still considered the most effective method in gastroenterology.

How is the examination carried out?

Like any diagnostic procedure, ultrasound examination has its own indications; you need to properly prepare for it.

Indications

Indications include complaints of pain in the upper abdomen, discomfort after eating, belching, and cramps. An ultrasound scan of the stomach allows you to make a diagnosis:

• gastritis (without details about the condition of the mucous membrane);
• stomach ulcers;
• abnormal organ structure;
• pyloroduodenal stenosis (narrowing of the pyloric part of the stomach and the initial part of the duodenum, most often due to healed ulcers, tumors);
• cancerous tumor;
• polyps.

Often, an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity with examination of the stomach and the initial parts of the duodenum is performed on children during their initial visit to a gastroenterologist in order to get a general idea of ​​the state of the gastrointestinal tract.

In general, any pain of unknown origin that is concentrated in the epigastric region is an indication for an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity.

Preparation for the event

They prepare for the procedure in the same way as for a regular ultrasound of the abdominal organs, especially since they are usually combined. The examination itself is carried out on an empty stomach (at least 10 hours without food). You need to give up foods that cause gas within 24-48 hours. The larger the gas bubble in the stomach and intestines, the less can be seen on the screen.

To increase the information content of a stomach ultrasound, avoid the following foods:

• rye and whole grain bread;
• all legumes;
• any fresh vegetables and fruits (especially cabbage, cucumbers);
• carbonated drinks;
• whole milk;
• alcohol.

If there are no contraindications, enterosorbents and Espumisan are taken these days. A cleansing enema is recommended, performed shortly before the examination (2 hours).

Most often, the procedure is carried out in the morning, so you can have your last meal the previous evening, and dinner should be early and light. On the day of the study, you no longer need to drink or eat, and it is highly advisable to refrain from smoking.

How is an ultrasound done?

This procedure is called abdominal, that is, it is carried out without penetration of sensors into the body, through the anterior abdominal wall. You just need to undress from the waist up and lie down on the couch. In some cases, a contrast agent is used, which you will be given to drink before the procedure. The sensor is placed in the upper middle of the abdomen, and gel is applied to it.

To assess peristalsis, the doctor will ask the patient to roll over to their right side. And to assess the passage of fluid from the esophagus to the stomach during an ultrasound of the stomach, the patient is given a little water to drink.

If you feel pain or discomfort when pressing the sensor, you should tell a specialist about it.

The whole procedure lasts about 10 minutes.

What can you see with an ultrasound?

Ultrasound shows the position of the organ and its shape, the thickness of the walls and the echogenicity of the structures (a change in this parameter relative to the norm indicates the presence of cysts, polyps or tumors).

Ultrasound of the stomach and esophagus can detect gastroesophageal reflux. It is indicated by the presence of fluid at the junction of these organs. When changing body position, a reverse cast occurs, visible on the screen. The presence of duodenogastric reflux (reflux of contents from the duodenum into the stomach) is assessed in approximately the same way.

A hiatal hernia can be detected if you drink contrast fluid before the examination.

Complex method

Now there are endoscopic instruments equipped with an ultrasonic sensor. This allows you to combine information obtained from two methods: gastroscopy and ultrasound of the stomach. To do this, a probe is inserted into the esophagus and stomach through the mouth. This procedure takes more time (at least 15 minutes) and is not comfortable for the patient, but it shows comprehensive information about the condition of the stomach.

In some cases, general anesthesia is performed to relieve discomfort.

So, ultrasound of the stomach can be part of the procedure for examining the abdominal organs and allows you to obtain primary information, which can then, if necessary, be clarified using other methods.