Abdominal ultrasounds are typically done at least once during a pregnancy. There are different types of abdominal ultrasounds, but all offer a glimpse inside the womb at the developing baby. Several types of ultrasounds are available for use...
An ultrasound is a diagnostic procedure that using cyclic audio pressure to detect the structure of some internal organs of the human body. This procedure is painless and non-invasive, and does not use radiation. Ultrasound is a very important...
Abdominal ultrasound, also known as a sonogram, uses high-frequency sound waves to create pictures of the organs inside the body. As a painless and safe technology, doctors frequently use abdominal ultrasound to monitor pregnancy, diagnose the...
Abdominal ultrasounds are used in pregnancy to check on the baby and potentially detect concerns with the pregnancy. It is a reliable way to check on a baby's gestational age, growth, detect multiple gestations and establish the placental...
Most pregnant women will receive at least one ultrasound during the course of their pregnancies. Ultrasounds are not mandatory, however, and there are a number of factors a woman might want to consider before she submits to this routine exam. She...
According to Drs. Gilbert Upchurch and Timothy Schaub of the University of Michigan Health System in the April 2006 edition of the "American Family Physician" journal, risk factors linked to the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm include...
While many doctors' offices confirm a suspected pregnancy using a urine or blood test, practitioners generally follow up chemical confirmation with an ultrasound to confirm viability of the pregnancy. Ultrasounds help physicians assess the...
Ultrasound is commonly used during pregnancy to provide information about the developing baby. During an ultrasound, reflected sound waves are used to form a visual image of the baby in the womb. While several types of ultrasounds are available, a...
Diverticula are small pouches that can form anywhere in the digestive system but most commonly affect the large intestine, according to MayoClinic.com. Diverticula are common in adults over the age of 40, and the presence of these bulges in the...
A sonogram is an image of the organs inside of the human body. It is also called an ultrasound, and the image is created by a machine that uses high frequency or ultrasonic waves. It does not use radiation. When the machine sends the sound waves,...
When a pregnant woman has placenta previa, the placenta attaches itself to the lower part of the uterus either near or covering the cervix. This condition can cause heavy bleeding during pregnancy or delivery and presents a serious risk for both...
The Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute reports that 95 percent of all abdominal aortic aneurysms (also referred to as "triple A" or AAA) are caused by atherosclerosis (fatty plaque build up in blood vessels). Symptoms of the disorder are...
The causes of miscarriage are varied. It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage, 80 percent of which occur during the first 12 weeks of gestation. Some early miscarriages result from maternal hormonal or...
If your bladder is not emptying completely, you're urinating frequently and you're suffering from recurring urinary tract infections and chronic low-grade back pain, your doctor may wish to have you tested for signs of reflux uropathy. This...
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disease that causes the kidneys to develop multiple large cysts. These cysts ultimately replace the normal kidney tissue, causing the kidneys to malfunction. Depending on the form of polycystic kidney...
Grainy images from a prenatal sonogram are often baby's first picture for the baby book. This procedure has become commonplace in modern obstetrical care, with many low risk mothers receiving two or more ultrasounds during pregnancy and high-risk...
Small pouches that develop on the intestines, called diverticula, can become infected, a condition known as diverticulitis. Around 50 percent of people over age 60 have diverticula, which most commonly affect the large intestine, the National...
The liver, found in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, acts as the body's initial filtering system as well as a manufacturing center for a number of necessary substances. The liver, which can repair itself up to a certain point, is often...
The kidneys are a pair of vital organs located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. They primarily filter waste from the blood and maintain salt and water balances in the body. Medullary cystic kidney disease is a type of kidney...
Your liver serves an important function for your body. It helps filter toxins, stores glycogen and produces bile to aid in digestion. Eating fatty foods can negatively impact your liver and possibly destroy it. The liver is so important that you...
The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It is the conduit for blood from the heart to other organs. It traverses the majority of the thorax and enters the abdomen before dividing into its terminal branches, which supply the lower limbs...
According to the Mayo Clinic, a majority of women develop uterine fibroids at some time in their lives. Uterine fibroids develop during a woman's reproductive years, generally up to the age of 50. Uterine fibroids can be extremely small or large...
Indigestion, also called dyspepsia, is characterized by burning pain or discomfort in the upper to middle part of your stomach. It can occur while eating or shortly after consuming a meal. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse...
Fat infiltration of the liver, also called steatosis, occurs when triglycerides accumulate in liver cells. Steatosis falls into three categories: alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, and fatty liver of...
Stress incontinence causes those affected, primarily women, to lose urine involuntarily during exercise, including running. Holding and controlling urine depends on a combination of factors --- chiefly, a normally functioning urinary tract,...
Colon cancer can often be effectively treated when found early. In fact, it can often be prevented entirely when precancerous polyps are detected and removed through routine screening via colonoscopy. Nonetheless, the disease is among the leading...
Loss of appetite means you don't have the desire to eat, which is not a normal condition, and is called anorexia, according to MedlinePlus. Anorexia is different from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, in which the patient has the desire to eat...
Stomach pain occurs in the abdominal region. According to MedicineNet, the abdominal region is defined as the lower area of the ribs, the diaphragm, the pubic bone and the areas on each side. Stomach pain is usually related to pain felt in the...
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that secretes digestive enzymes through the pancreatic duct. Digestive enzymes mix with bile from the gallbladder to digest food. Acute pancreatitis is most often caused by gallstones that...
Gallstones are solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder or nearby bile ducts. Complications from gallstones can be serious, and even fatal, if left untreated. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and...
The bile duct is a long tube-like structure that connects the liver to the intestine and transports bile. Learn about bile duct cancer including possible causes, and treatment options for bile duct cancer in this video.
An aortic aneurysm is any swelling of the aorta, usually due to a thinning wall. The condition is not always severe, but rupture is a risk. Learn more about aortic aneurysms in this video.