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Why Getting An Abdominal Ultrasound Is A Good Way To Find The Cause Of Your Stomach Pain

4 December 2015

Michelle Hopkins

If you have recently been experiencing a lot of stomach pain, your doctor might recommend getting an abdominal ultrasound. An abdominal ultrasound is a great tool at detecting issues within the abdominal area, and it could be the easiest way to determine what is causing your stomach pain. Here are two things you should know about this.

What is an abdominal ultrasound?

When women are pregnant, they go to the doctor for ultrasounds periodically. This allows the doctor to see the unborn child in the woman's womb, and it helps doctors detect problems. An abdominal ultrasound is just like this, except it is not used to see an unborn child. It is completed in the same way, but it is used to examine the organs in your abdominal area. Through this test, an ultrasound technician will view and take pictures of the following body parts:

• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Spleen
• Kidneys
• Pancreas

After the ultrasound is complete, your doctor will view the images to look for signs of problems.

What problems in this area can cause pain?

There are many issues that can cause abdominal pain, but here are some of the common ones doctors often diagnose through abdominal ultrasounds:

• Hernia – Abdominal hernias occur when organs move out of place, causing them to protrude in the wrong areas. These can be painful, but doctors can treat most types.
• Gallstones – Stones growing inside your gallbladder can also cause abdominal pain, but your doctor can diagnose this issue through an ultrasound. In addition, the doctor will look for other types of irregularities with your gallbladder when performing an abdominal ultrasound
• Growths – The ultrasound is also completed to look for any growths inside your body. Growths can be found in almost any organ you have, but an ultrasound technician will thoroughly look for growths in your spleen, liver, and pancreas.

If the ultrasound reveals any problems, your doctor will suggest discussing treatment options.

What happens next?

The way your problem is handled after your ultrasound will depend on what problems were found. If the ultrasound did not reveal any issues, your doctor may ask you if you would like to go through additional testing to look for the problem.

If there were issues discovered, the doctor would closely examine the issues and determine how to treat the problems.

If you are tired of living with stomach pain, you may want to ask your doctor about getting an abdominal ultrasound. To learn more, contact an urgent care facility like Advance Medical of Naples. 

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