Preparation and instructions

An ultrasound scan of the upper abdomen

For an ultrasound of your upper abdomen it is necessary that your bowels are empty, to prevent the contents of the intestines affecting the imaging. Therefore, it is important to follow the instructions below.

The day before the ultrasound:

After midnight: don´t eat, drink or smoke

The day of the ultrasound:

If you have an appointment after 13:00 pm, you may have a light breakfast of two slices of toast and a cup of tea the morning of the ultrasound, at 8 o´clock.  After the ultrasound, you may eat again.

An ultrasound of the lower abdomen

You should come to the appointment with a filled bladder. If this is not the case the radiologist can´t investigate your lower abdomen. This means that you have to drink some glasses of water approximately one hour before the ultrasound and can´t go to the toilet.

If you have a special diet, such as a diabetes diet, please contact the physician who requested the investigation.

The examination

You will be asked to lay on the examination table. The radiologist applies a cold gel on your upper stomach. With a transducer the radiologist scans your belly. The radiologist looks on the monitor if there are any abnormalities. This examination is not painful. Note: If the gel gets on your clothes, this is washable.