Why need to have an empty stomach or hold my urine before the ultrasound examination?
Before an ultrasound examination, there are generally requirements for "fasting" or "holding urine". As for the reason, many people are confused. In fact, as a medical imaging medicine, ultrasound examination is limited by imaging principles. For example, sound waves cannot penetrate metal and bone structures, and they like water and are afraid of gas, which requires the attention of clinicians and patients. In order to ensure the results of the examination, the patient should make corresponding preparations before the examination.
The ultrasound doctor asks the patient to have a light diet the night before during the examination of the upper abdomen organs, and the examination is when the abdomen is waiting. Why is this? The reason is that we swallow gas into the gastrointestinal tract during eating, and many foods also produce gas during digestion, such as milk and beans. These gases will interfere with the passage of ultrasound, affect the clarity of the image, and easily cause misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.
For example, an ultrasound of the gallbladder must be done on an empty stomach. The special physiological characteristic of the gallbladder is that after eating fatty food, the gallbladder shrinks and discharges bile, so the gallbladder is not fully filled, and it is not easy to see the lesions on the gallbladder wall during ultrasound examination. Therefore, doctors often order patients to check on an empty stomach. The purpose is to minimize the gas in the gastrointestinal tract, while allowing the gallbladder to fully fill and minimize interference factors to obtain the best image to improve the diagnosis rate.
In addition, abdominal examinations that must be done on an empty stomach, including liver, gallbladder, pancreas, bile duct, retroperitoneum, and large blood vessels in the abdominal cavity, etc., do not eat after 9 o'clock in the evening the day before the examination (fasting for more than 8 hours), after 12 o'clock Drinking water is prohibited.
Ultrasound examinations of many organs require patients to fully hold back their urine. Why is this? Filling the bladder with holding urine can make the bladder wall more clearly displayed, and because the uterine appendages, prostate and other organs are located in the lower and deeper position of the pelvic cavity behind the bladder, the upper part of the bladder is covered by a large number of intestines, it is difficult for ultrasound to penetrate the intestines Dao gas reaches these organs. The urine-filled bladder can effectively push open the intestinal tube that occupies the pelvic cavity, overcome the interference of intestinal gas, and elevate the position of these organs to make them clearly visible.
If you do not prepare as required, the images of the organs may be unclear, which may cause misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, and even delay the condition.
Here is a reminder that ultrasound examinations of the bladder, prostate, seminal vesicles, ureters, gynecology and early pregnancy (that is, within 3 months of pregnancy) should be performed after holding back urine. As far as experience is concerned, drinking 500-800 ml of water before the test usually requires holding back urine for 2 hours, and drinking 800-1000 ml of water requires holding back urine for about 1 hour. However, coffee and carbonated beverages are not suitable. These beverages will increase abdominal gas and affect the test results.
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