What is the need for ultrasound of the abdominal cavity for children

Do not be afraid if the district pediatrician suggests taking your child to an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Do not abandon this research, it does not affect the work of the baby's body, does not hurt him and does not irradiate him.

When is ultrasound given?

Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity for children up to a year is done in the following cases:

- to assess the development of internal organs and confirm the absence / presence of anomalies;

- with the jaundice of newborns;

- with frequent regurgitation. At the same time, it is necessary to check whether there are signs of a pathology of the development of the brain;

- with poor weight gain;

- with a liquid rapidity stool, with no signs of concomitant infection;

- with suspected pylorospasm or pyloric stenosis, the symptoms of which are identical.

But this is not a complete list of indications, in which ultrasound of the abdominal cavity is assigned to children. So, grown-up babies such a study is necessary when:

- stomach ache;

- a feeling of heaviness and tension in the right hypochondrium;

- bitterness in the mouth, acidic eructations, bad breath from the mouth;

- Jaundice;

- flatulence.

In addition, any abdominal injuries are a direct indication of ultrasound, if they are accompanied by pain, and it must be done as soon as possible.

Preparation for the procedure

Carrying out ultrasound of the abdominal cavity to children does not cause pain or severe discomfort, it is not scary. But it must be properly prepared and do not feed the child before the procedure:

- for the newborn, the period of hunger is about 3 hours;

- for children under 3 years - 4 hours;

- Children older than 3 years should not eat at least 6 hours.

When breastfeeding, mom should abandon the products that cause gas formation in the intestine (legumes, raw fruits and vegetables, black bread, kvass, various sweets, juices, butter, milk, etc. on the advice of a doctor). Children under 3 years of age should not eat vegetable and fruit purees, drink juices on the day of research. But before the ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, children who are more than 3 years old need more thorough preparation. They need to be planted on a three-day diet, excluding gassing products. On the day of the study you can drink only plain water.

How and where to conduct ultrasound

If the district pediatrician sends you to an ultrasound, then you will most likely be held free of charge in the clinic. But if the children's hospital does not have the equipment, specialists or you want to double-check the results, then you can find out where else you can make ultrasound of the abdominal cavity to the child. The price for such a study is practically the same as the cost of a similar procedure for adults, it depends in most cases on the clinic you choose. But keep in mind that only children's specialists should look at babies. A doctor specializing in adults will not be able to adequately assess the results of the diagnosis done to the baby.

As a result of the study, a number of problems can be identified, such as:

- Hepatitis (visible acute and chronic forms);

- stones and clots in the gallbladder;

- cysts and neoplasms in the liver, stagnation in it;

- pathology of the spleen (enlargement, appearance of additional lobes) or her injuries, infarction;

- peritonitis;

- signs of pancreatitis ;

- an increase in lymph nodes.

Do not underestimate the need for ultrasound of the child's abdominal cavity. The interpretation of the results is necessarily voiced by the parents and passed on to the pediatrician. The final diagnosis is already established by the pediatrician, and he can prescribe additional studies, recommend treatment or consultations with other relevant specialists.