Ultrasound

Liver/Pancreas/Spleen/Aorta Retroperitoneal/Abdominal Vascular (Renal Artery/Mesenteric)

• Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before and until the exam is completed (NPO).
• Any medications can be taken with limited sips of water (unless your medications need to be taken with food).

Pelvic (Pregnancy/Uterus/Bladder) Diagnostic & OB

• You should begin drinking 16 ounces of water one hour prior to the scheduled appointment time, and be finished drinking 45 minutes before the appointment time.
• A full bladder is necessary for this exam. You should not urinate after drinking the water, until the exam is complete.
• You may eat.
• Any medications can be taken.

When abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds are scheduled together, you will be given two time slots due to the different preparations necessary for each test. These times will usually be about two hours apart.

Gallbladder and Upper Right Quadrant (Gallbladder/Liver/Pancreas)

Day Before the Exam

• Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before (NPO).

Day of the Exam

• Nothing to eat or drink until after the exam is completed.
• Any medications can be taken with limited sips of water (unless your medications need to be taken with food).

Kidney/Renal

• You should drink 16 ounces of water one prior to the scheduled appointment time, and be finished drinking 45 minutes before the appointment time.
• A full bladder is necessary for this exam. If possible, you should not urinate after drinking the water, until the exam is complete.

Carotids/Extremities (Venous and Arterial)

• No preparation necessary.
• Venous and arterial ultrasound exams must be done on separate days and cannot be scheduled on the same day.
• The venous ultrasound exam will be done first to assure there are no blood clots.

For the Abdominal Ultrasound (First of Two Tests):

• Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before and until the exam is completed (NPO).

For the Pelvic Ultrasound (Second of Two Tests):

• After the first test, you will drink 16 ounces of water to fill your bladder for the pelvic ultrasound.
• You will also be able to eat while filling the bladder.