2024 Medical Science Popularization——Gastrointestinal Ultrasound

Gastrointestinal ultrasound, also known as gastric filling ultrasound examination, is a method of diagnosing gastric and duodenal lesions by filling the gastric cavity with about 500 ml of "thick soy milk"-like grain-based edible and medicinal agent (whose main ingredients are yam, tangerine peel, coix seed, soybean, and rice), and through continuous dynamic observation.

Gastrointestinal ultrasound can not only observe the conditions of the gastric cavity, gastric wall and adjacent structures of the stomach, such as inflammation, tumors, ulcers, polyps, etc., but also provide an intuitive understanding of the peristalsis and emptying of the stomach and duodenum. It has now become the preferred option for gastric examination after gastroscopy.

Advantages of gastrointestinal ultrasound examination

Gastrointestinal ultrasound examination is safe, efficient, convenient, non-invasive, comfortable, widely applicable, and repeatable. It is superior to gastroscopy and X-ray barium meal in judging the range and depth of lesion infiltration and its relationship with surrounding tissues. It can also observe lesions within the gastric wall and lesions invasive outside the gastric wall.

Clear gastrointestinal ultrasound image display (the green shaded area represents the filled gastrointestinal tract, 12345 represents the hierarchical structure of the gastric wall, and DU represents the duodenum)↓↓

【Indications for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound】

Gastrointestinal tumors, inflammation, ulcers, polyps, gastric varices, hiatal hernia, achalasia, functional gastric reflux, hypermotility or hypomotility, congenital gastrointestinal diseases such as congenital hypertrophic pyloric obstruction, gastric duplication, duodenal atresia, annular pancreas, etc.

Contraindications of Gastrointestinal Ultrasound

Patients with gastrointestinal perforation and active massive bleeding, gastrointestinal obstruction, acute gastric dilatation, massive gastric retention, etc. who need to fast clinically.

Finally, I must say that no matter you have a casual physical examination or a special examination, no matter you are an old man or a child, no matter you are strong or weak, when you have symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, belching and acid reflux, upper abdominal discomfort, gastrointestinal ultrasound can help you.