About service
What does a stomach ultrasound show
Ultrasonography of the stomach is a non-invasive diagnostic method most often prescribed for children as well as for adult patients who cannot tolerate endoscopy.
Ultrasound makes it possible to clearly visualize the gastric outlet (the antral and pyloric segments), which are closest to the pylorus—the junction of the stomach and the duodenum—as well as the initial portion of the duodenum.
Other structures are less amenable to visualization. However, most gastric lesions occur precisely in the outlet region, so the diagnostic value of ultrasound should not be underestimated.
Indications for stomach ultrasound
The physician may recommend stomach ultrasonography for patients who have contraindications to FGD[S], as well as for those who categorically refuse it. In addition, ultrasound may be used as part of a comprehensive diagnostic program as an initial examination.
Ultrasound can be prescribed if the patient presents with the following symptoms:
• pain and heaviness in the stomach,
• decreased appetite,
• nausea and vomiting,
• abdominal bloating,
• frequent belching or heartburn,
• dry mouth or bitterness in the mouth.
Ultrasound can also be informative for analyzing gastric motor–evacuatory function, assessing the functionality of the cardial sphincter in reflux disease, and in suspected gastritis, ulcer, polyps, or gastric cancer. Another indication is suspected stenosis (narrowing) of the antral and pyloric segments of the stomach.
This is only a subset of the pathologies that can be detected by ultrasound. The attending physician may additionally recommend endoscopy, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging.
Contraindications
Ultrasonography of the stomach has no absolute contraindications. Relative limitations may include skin damage in the abdominal area, such as burns, open wounds, and infectious lesions.
In addition, the use of ultrasound may be inexpedient in the presence of an excessive layer of visceral fat (on the abdominal wall).
How to prepare for a stomach ultrasound
High-quality preparation is the key to a maximally informative examination.
For 2–3 days before stomach ultrasonography, it is necessary to follow a special diet that reduces intestinal gas formation. Allowed foods include lean boiled or steamed fish, lean meat, soft-boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, and porridge cooked in water.
It is better to exclude dark bread, baked goods, confectionery, raw vegetables and fruits, black tea and coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverages, as well as legumes and dairy products.
On the eve of the ultrasound, dinner should be no later than 19:00–19:30. Those who suffer from increased gas formation should take medications for a couple of days that can address this problem. It is also important to empty the bowels the day before, using a laxative.
On the morning of the procedure, not only breakfast but also fluid intake and smoking are not permitted.
How a stomach ultrasound is performed
Stomach ultrasound is performed in two ways—standard through the anterior abdominal wall (transabdominal ultrasound) and endoultrasound (endo-ultrasound), when, in addition to an external transducer, a miniature camera placed in the stomach cavity is used.
During the examination the patient lies on a couch or is in a semi-sitting position. Gel is applied to the abdomen and the specialist begins to move the transducer.
The ultrasound transducer transmits images to the monitor in several projections. Thus, the physician assesses the shape and position of the stomach as well as the thickness of its walls. Various deformities and pathological foci can also be detected during ultrasound.
Then the physician will ask the patient to drink about half a liter of fluid to assess gastric motor function—how quickly its contents are evacuated.
Endo-ultrasound is a kind of combination of gastroscopy and conventional ultrasound.
Information provided by the camera placed inside and the transducer shows a detailed picture of the condition of the stomach, as well as the esophagus, duodenum, pancreas, and adjacent organs.
Endoscopic ultrasonography combines two methods of endoscopic visualization with high-frequency ultrasound, allowing visualization of the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and beyond, as well as nearby organs and vessels. The ability to identify each of the five layers of the gastrointestinal wall corresponding to its histologic analogue, as well as to detect localized lymph nodes, underlies most EUS procedures.
Indications for endo-ultrasound can be divided into several categories:
• staging of malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract,
• evaluation of pancreatobiliary disease,
• evaluation of subepithelial abnormalities,
• evaluation of extraluminal abnormalities,
• lung cancer staging,
• therapeutic EUS.
Endoscopic ultrasound makes it possible to perform tissue biopsy, and therapeutic procedures can also be carried out with its help. This is what distinguishes it from classical FGD[S].
A standard ultrasound examination of the stomach and intestines lasts 20–30 minutes. The specialist then prepares a report with a preliminary diagnosis.
Advantages and disadvantages of stomach ultrasound
Compared with classical FGD[S] or CT, ultrasound has a number of advantages, namely:
• the procedure is comfortable and painless, since it is performed through the abdominal wall,
• the examination is performed quickly,
• it does not create radiation exposure for the patient and is therefore suitable even for children and pregnant women.
However, ultrasound also has disadvantages, including:
• insufficiently detailed examination,
• the possibility of missing inflammatory and ulcerative processes, as well as
• small tumors and polyps,
• inability to detect hemorrhages into the gastric wall,
• inability to diagnose pathological foci located in hard-to-reach areas.
In addition, with ultrasound only individual segments can be assessed, whereas other methods can provide a continuous image.
It is also impossible during ultrasound to perform biopsy of suspicious mucosal areas, determine gastric juice acidity, or detect the presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori.
Advantages of stomach ultrasound at Expert Clinics
At Expert Clinics in Moscow, high-precision diagnostic equipment of the latest generation is used. Most importantly, physicians here practice an interdisciplinary approach to the correction and prevention of various diseases.
They will help not only to eliminate symptoms but also to find the root cause of the disease and help eliminate it using personalized therapy. At Expert Clinics you have every chance to improve your quality of life by coping with gastric diseases.
Ultrasonography of the stomach is a non-invasive diagnostic method most often prescribed for children as well as for adult patients who cannot tolerate endoscopy.
Ultrasound makes it possible to clearly visualize the gastric outlet (the antral and pyloric segments), which are closest to the pylorus—the junction of the stomach and the duodenum—as well as the initial portion of the duodenum.
Other structures are less amenable to visualization. However, most gastric lesions occur precisely in the outlet region, so the diagnostic value of ultrasound should not be underestimated.
Indications for stomach ultrasound
The physician may recommend stomach ultrasonography for patients who have contraindications to FGD[S], as well as for those who categorically refuse it. In addition, ultrasound may be used as part of a comprehensive diagnostic program as an initial examination.
Ultrasound can be prescribed if the patient presents with the following symptoms:
• pain and heaviness in the stomach,
• decreased appetite,
• nausea and vomiting,
• abdominal bloating,
• frequent belching or heartburn,
• dry mouth or bitterness in the mouth.
Ultrasound can also be informative for analyzing gastric motor–evacuatory function, assessing the functionality of the cardial sphincter in reflux disease, and in suspected gastritis, ulcer, polyps, or gastric cancer. Another indication is suspected stenosis (narrowing) of the antral and pyloric segments of the stomach.
This is only a subset of the pathologies that can be detected by ultrasound. The attending physician may additionally recommend endoscopy, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging.
Contraindications
Ultrasonography of the stomach has no absolute contraindications. Relative limitations may include skin damage in the abdominal area, such as burns, open wounds, and infectious lesions.
In addition, the use of ultrasound may be inexpedient in the presence of an excessive layer of visceral fat (on the abdominal wall).
How to prepare for a stomach ultrasound
High-quality preparation is the key to a maximally informative examination.
For 2–3 days before stomach ultrasonography, it is necessary to follow a special diet that reduces intestinal gas formation. Allowed foods include lean boiled or steamed fish, lean meat, soft-boiled eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, and porridge cooked in water.
It is better to exclude dark bread, baked goods, confectionery, raw vegetables and fruits, black tea and coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverages, as well as legumes and dairy products.
On the eve of the ultrasound, dinner should be no later than 19:00–19:30. Those who suffer from increased gas formation should take medications for a couple of days that can address this problem. It is also important to empty the bowels the day before, using a laxative.
On the morning of the procedure, not only breakfast but also fluid intake and smoking are not permitted.
How a stomach ultrasound is performed
Stomach ultrasound is performed in two ways—standard through the anterior abdominal wall (transabdominal ultrasound) and endoultrasound (endo-ultrasound), when, in addition to an external transducer, a miniature camera placed in the stomach cavity is used.
During the examination the patient lies on a couch or is in a semi-sitting position. Gel is applied to the abdomen and the specialist begins to move the transducer.
The ultrasound transducer transmits images to the monitor in several projections. Thus, the physician assesses the shape and position of the stomach as well as the thickness of its walls. Various deformities and pathological foci can also be detected during ultrasound.
Then the physician will ask the patient to drink about half a liter of fluid to assess gastric motor function—how quickly its contents are evacuated.
Endo-ultrasound is a kind of combination of gastroscopy and conventional ultrasound.
Information provided by the camera placed inside and the transducer shows a detailed picture of the condition of the stomach, as well as the esophagus, duodenum, pancreas, and adjacent organs.
Endoscopic ultrasonography combines two methods of endoscopic visualization with high-frequency ultrasound, allowing visualization of the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and beyond, as well as nearby organs and vessels. The ability to identify each of the five layers of the gastrointestinal wall corresponding to its histologic analogue, as well as to detect localized lymph nodes, underlies most EUS procedures.
Indications for endo-ultrasound can be divided into several categories:
• staging of malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract,
• evaluation of pancreatobiliary disease,
• evaluation of subepithelial abnormalities,
• evaluation of extraluminal abnormalities,
• lung cancer staging,
• therapeutic EUS.
Endoscopic ultrasound makes it possible to perform tissue biopsy, and therapeutic procedures can also be carried out with its help. This is what distinguishes it from classical FGD[S].
A standard ultrasound examination of the stomach and intestines lasts 20–30 minutes. The specialist then prepares a report with a preliminary diagnosis.
Advantages and disadvantages of stomach ultrasound
Compared with classical FGD[S] or CT, ultrasound has a number of advantages, namely:
• the procedure is comfortable and painless, since it is performed through the abdominal wall,
• the examination is performed quickly,
• it does not create radiation exposure for the patient and is therefore suitable even for children and pregnant women.
However, ultrasound also has disadvantages, including:
• insufficiently detailed examination,
• the possibility of missing inflammatory and ulcerative processes, as well as
• small tumors and polyps,
• inability to detect hemorrhages into the gastric wall,
• inability to diagnose pathological foci located in hard-to-reach areas.
In addition, with ultrasound only individual segments can be assessed, whereas other methods can provide a continuous image.
It is also impossible during ultrasound to perform biopsy of suspicious mucosal areas, determine gastric juice acidity, or detect the presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori.
Advantages of stomach ultrasound at Expert Clinics
At Expert Clinics in Moscow, high-precision diagnostic equipment of the latest generation is used. Most importantly, physicians here practice an interdisciplinary approach to the correction and prevention of various diseases.
They will help not only to eliminate symptoms but also to find the root cause of the disease and help eliminate it using personalized therapy. At Expert Clinics you have every chance to improve your quality of life by coping with gastric diseases.
+7 (495) 154-21-44 
admin@expertclinics.ru 
Moscow, Starovolynskaya st., 12 bld. 1