Abdominal Ultrasound

Abdominal ultrasound is a test using ultrasound waves to identify and assess structures. It is often used in the abdomen to visualise the gallbladder, bile ducts, liver, spleen and kidneys. It is less good as a means of identifying and assessing structures that are a long way from the skin as ultra-sound waves do not penetrate deep tissues well. They also do not penetrate gas filled bowel well so visualisation of structures like the pancreas, which often lie behind the bowel is often less reliable than certain other modalities such as CT or MR scanning.