Urology Ultrasound

Urology Ultrasound Examination

What preparation is required?

You will need to arrive for your appointment with a full bladder as this will allow a good picture to be seen on the scan; therefore, you will need to drink approximately 1½ pints of water 1 hour before the scan.

What is an ultrasound scan?

The examination is usually performed by a Sonographer.

An ultrasound scan is a simple painless procedure that uses sound waves to produce an image. The sound waves cannot be heard but they are sent into the body and their ‘echo’ detected after they have been reflected by the internal organs.

In order to allow the waves to pass through the body, a water-based gel is applied to your abdomen and then an ultrasound probe is moved over that area. The sonographer will apply a little pressure to your abdomen to improve the image detail.

The images are viewed on a screen and you will be asked to breathe in and hold your breath at various intervals during the examination. You may be asked to move your arms or move to your left or right a little, to enable the sonographer to get the best possible images.

Once the examination is complete, the gel will be wiped away.

Each scan takes approximately 15 minutes.