Abdominal Ultrasound
Comprehensive abdominal ultrasound — liver, gallbladder/biliary tree, pancreas, kidneys, spleen, abdominal aorta, bladder. First-line for right-upper-quadrant pain (gallstones, cholecystitis), hepatic lesion characterization, renal evaluation, AAA screening, acute appendicitis in children. No ionizing radiation; portable, real-time, operator-dependent.
Clinical pathway
NPO 6+ hours (gallbladder), full bladder for pelvic. Curvilinear 2–5 MHz probe standard; linear high-frequency for superficial structures; color Doppler for vascular assessment; contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS with Lumason/Definity) for selected lesion characterization where MRI/CT is contraindicated or equivocal.
Typical systems
- GE Logiq E9
- Canon Aplio i800
- Philips EPIQ Elite
- Siemens ACUSON Sequoia
Room + procedure characteristics
- Scan time: 20–40 min
- Dose: none (non-ionizing)
- Team: sonographer acquires, radiologist interprets (and may re-scan equivocal findings)