Can gastrointestinal diseases be examined and diagnosed using ultrasound?

Gastrointestinal diseases have almost become a standard disease for modern people. According to epidemiological surveys, more than half of the people in my country are infected with Helicobacter pylori, which is a recognized cause of gastric cancer. At present, more than half of the friends I know have gastrointestinal diseases. There are many types of gastrointestinal diseases, and the affected population is also very wide, but most people tend to ignore the early diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. Most friends should have heard of the standard diagnostic method for gastrointestinal diseases, gastroscopy. Even though the painless electronic gastroscopy technology in modern medicine is quite mature, most friends probably don’t want to do it a second time because of the discomfort it causes. Therefore, in clinical practice, it is hoped that by not performing relatively invasive methods such as gastroscopy, but taking other non-invasive and repeatable examination methods, a morphological survey of early gastrointestinal diseases can be conducted; did you know? In fact, ultrasound for gastrointestinal diseases can do it!

How does ultrasound diagnose gastrointestinal diseases?

Ultrasound used clinically for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases is currently referred to as gastrointestinal ultrasound in medicine. It is actually a common ultrasound scan, a stomach filling scan and intestinal cavity scan achieved with the help of contrast agents (filling method). By improving the ultrasound environment inside the gastrointestinal tract, it can be effectively penetrated by the ultrasound beam. We know that ultrasound scanning is diagnosed through the rebound echo of sound waves on tissues. Previously, ultrasound could not diagnose gastrointestinal diseases mainly because the gastrointestinal tract could not be effectively penetrated by ultrasound beams. Now this problem has been solved, and ultrasound can well observe the internal conditions of gastrointestinal tissues.

Which gastrointestinal tissues can be observed by ultrasound and how can diseases be diagnosed?

Ultrasonic scanning diagnosis mainly identifies diseases by observing the changes in soft tissue and the differences between normal tissue. Gastrointestinal diseases generally cause damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa or tissue thickening and deformation. Current technology can already observe the entire digestive tract of the gastrointestinal tract and duodenum. The observed tissues include the morphology and structure of the intestinal wall, stomach wall, gastrointestinal mucosa, and blood vessels.

After inflammation, general tissues will undergo structural changes and present inflammatory structures. In the diagnosis of general enteritis and gastritis, ultrasound can be used to directly observe changes in gastrointestinal tissue structure to determine whether there is inflammation. Gastric ulcers, which are common in our lives, can cause mucosal damage. Through changes in mucosal tissue, we can confirm the wound condition and determine whether it is an ulcerative wound, thereby determining whether it is a gastrointestinal ulcer. In addition, ultrasound observation of soft tissue can directly understand the changes in gastrointestinal tissue, that is, in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal polyps, stones, and foreign bodies, its effect is very ideal. In addition, it can also confirm the gastric motility of the diagnosed person through scanning for a period of time, so as to determine the patient's gastrointestinal digestive function. This operation has significant diagnostic efficacy for some indigestion and irregular diet diseases. Moreover, with the development of gastrointestinal ultrasound, it can observe gastrointestinal tissues adjacent to related tissues, such as the pancreas, extrahepatic bile duct, abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. In the diagnosis of some special diseases, such as tumors, it can understand its impact on surrounding tissues. However, it should be noted that not all patients are suitable for this diagnostic method, because ultrasound scanning may be abnormal when scanning liquids and special substances. Therefore, it is currently impossible to diagnose patients with acute gastric dilatation, gastrointestinal perforation and active bleeding. In addition, gastrointestinal ultrasound requires contrast agents. If the patient has obstruction, this diagnostic scheme cannot be implemented. In short, the diagnostic effect of gastrointestinal ultrasound is ideal. The sonogram can clearly show the structure of the gastric wall, whether there are ulcers, the nature of the lesions, and the infiltration. The colon and rectal structures can also be observed through the abdomen or perineum to determine whether there is inflammation, mass and infiltration. In short, most gastrointestinal diseases can be observed and diagnosed under good gastrointestinal filling conditions.

Advantages of Gastrointestinal Ultrasound

Gastrointestinal ultrasound is defined as a non-invasive diagnosis, especially the filling method. Double contrast imaging requires contrast agent infusion, but in fact it is not very irritating. Compared with the previous gastrointestinal diagnosis of gastroscopy and electronic gastroscopy, it is almost non-irritating, and generally there will be no discomfort after the diagnosis. In addition, the image resolution accuracy of ultrasound scanning is very high, and it can also perform differential observation of some subtle lesions, which is comparable to traditional gastroscopy. However, the gastroscope itself cannot observe in all directions without dead ends. In addition, when some gastrointestinal tissues are not internally damaged, ultrasound can fully observe the entire gastrointestinal tissue, so its effect is very ideal. When conditions permit, choosing gastrointestinal ultrasound as a diagnostic method for gastrointestinal diseases has a better experience, and the diagnostic efficiency is almost the same as that of general gastroscopy.

Specific diagnostic process and precautions of gastrointestinal ultrasound

In order to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis, gastrointestinal ultrasound is generally performed in the morning. Liquid or semi-liquid diet is recommended the day before diagnosis. Do not eat after 10 pm the day before. Under normal circumstances, a small amount of gastric retention will not affect the diagnosis. Patients do not need to pay too much attention, nor do they need to undergo gastric lavage before diagnosis. In addition, if double ultrasound angiography is required, the diagnosing physician will advise the patient of relevant precautions.

During the intestinal scan, the stool must be completely discharged. If it cannot be discharged smoothly, the diagnosing physician should be informed and other help should be sought. If constipation symptoms exist before the diagnosis, it is recommended that the patient take a laxative before bedtime. In addition, some patients need an enema, and the patient should make corresponding physical and psychological preparations.

Gastrointestinal function diagnosis in gastrointestinal diagnosis is different from conventional gastrointestinal scanning. It may be diagnosed separately. For this type of diagnosis, you can drink some warm water two hours before the examination to keep the bladder full, so that the examination results can be more obvious. Women should avoid menstruation before doing gastrointestinal B-ultrasound examination to avoid affecting the examination results.