Ultrasound and Echocardiography

Areas of the body commonly imaged by ultrasound include the abdominal organs (liver, spleen, gall bladder, pancreas, and kidneys), the pelvic organs (ovaries and uterus), the thyroid gland, testicles and breasts.

Ultrasound is also used to study blood flow and look for blockages in the carotid arteries in the neck, and the venous and arterial systems of the legs.

Cardiac ultrasound, also known as a heart echo, looks at the heart chambers and valves.

What To Expect During An Ultrasound

1)You may be asked to undress for the exam. What articles of clothing you will be asked to remove will depend upon the area being imaged.
2)As you lie on a table a gel is applied to the surface of your skin. The gel improves the contact of the ultrasound transducer with the skin surface.
3)The technologist will take films of the area of interest.
4) Your physician will inform you of the results in approximately seven days.

Patient Preparation

Pelvic Ultrasound

1) Drink 40 ounces of water one hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
2) The fluid must be completed one hour before your appointment time.
EXAMPLE: If the ultrasound appointment is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., 40 ounces of fluid must be completely ingested by 8:00 a.m.
3) DO NOT URINATE. Your bladder must be full in order to successfully complete the exam.
4) You may eat meals. There is no need to fast.

Abdominal Ultrasound

This includes Abdomen, Liver, Kidneys, Gallbladder, Pancreas, Spleen and Abdominal Aorta.
Nothing to eat or drink at least eight hours prior to the appointment time.
Medications may be taken with a small amount of water.
This study takes approximately 30 minutes to one hour.

All Other Ultrasounds and Echocardiography

This includes Heart, Thyroid Gland, Breast, and the arteries in the neck and legs.
For these studies there is NO PREPARATION required.
These studies take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour.
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Office Visits

A typical appointment is an office visit. These appointments are scheduled for patients who need to see the doctor for a specific problem for recommended follow-up. Typically, we can accommodate patients who call on the same day.
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Other Procedures

In addition to the above examinations our office also offers skin biopsy and liquid nitrogen treatment to freeze certain skin abnormalities such as warts or precancerous skin changes. Joint injections with cortisone or Synvisc are performed by some of our physicians as well.
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Physical Exams

A comprehensive history and full physical exam is often recommended by a physician when a patient is new to the practice, or for established patients for health maintenance. Often an annual physical is recommended to keep up to date with certain studies as recommended by the American Cancer Society such as annual breast exams, mammograms, pelvic exams and pap smears, digital rectal exams and prostate exams. Blood work is often done as part of a physical to monitor certain illnesses or for screening purposes. Please refer to the blood work section for instructions regarding blood work. For those interested in executive health physical exams, please see the Executive Health Services section of this web site or fill out our contact form for additional information.

CT Scans/Calcium Scoring

General CT scans are available at the Beaumont Imaging Center - UnaSource at the UnaSource Health Building.
In addition calcium scoring is available at UnaSource. Please see the cardiac calcium scoring section of this web page for additional information.

Virtual colonoscopy is a recently developed, minimally invasive technique for detecting polyps and cancer in a patient's colon. In many cases, it serves as an effective alternative to traditional colonoscopy.
Please see the virtual colonoscopy section of this web page for additional information.

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