In general, you do not need to be fasting (no food or liquids) for the ultrasound examination. However, the quality of the examination is impaired by air in the abdomen, making it difficult to assess some abdominal organs. It is therefore advisable to avoid flatulent foods the day before the examination. It is not necessary to empty the bladder before the examination. For special questions, it is even beneficial if the bladder is full.

However, if you are planning an assessment of the gallbladder, you should remain fasting, because without a certain filling of the gallbladder, an assessment is very limited.

Ultrasound contrast medium is used to further clarify unclear findings, such as masses in the liver or other abdominal organs. It increases the informative value of the ultrasound examination by making characteristic changes in tissue perfusion visible. Contrast agent sonography thus enables better visualization of masses and in most cases a classification (benign, malignant, etc.).

The advantages of the ultrasound contrast medium are that it takes very little time (approx. 10 minutes) and is very well tolerated. The contrast medium can also be used in cases of kidney or thyroid dysfunction, as it is not harmful to the kidneys or contains iodine. In addition, the ultrasound examination does not cause any radiation exposure.

Two things are necessary to prepare for contrast medium sonography:

1. prior written informed consent and medical clearance is required in all cases.
2. the insertion of an indwelling venous cannula (carried out by the staff).

It is very rare for severe side effects to occur during the examination (e.g. a severe intolerance reaction). However, contrast sonography must not be performed in the case of unstable angina pectoris (increasing shortness of breath with chest pain), a recent heart attack or severe heart or lung disease. There must also be no known allergy to the ultrasound contrast agent. The necessity of such an examination should therefore be checked in advance. If you are unsure whether a contrast sonography can be performed on you, please contact us.

You do not have to remain sober for contrast sonography per se. However, contrast media sonography is often planned in combination with a diagnostic puncture. In this case, you must abstain from food and fluids for at least 6 hours. If you are a diabetic, please discuss the procedure with your physician. You should also remain fasting for the targeted contrast agent sonographic assessment of the gallbladder.

A puncture is performed to obtain tissue for examination under a microscope in order to clarify the origin of tumors, for example. The advantage of an ultrasound-guided puncture is the low complication rate due to the minimally invasive procedure.

The prerequisite for performing a puncture is written information about potential risks and complications. A consultation must take place at least 24 hours before the procedure (emergencies may be an exception). Please inform us if you have an allergy or hypersensitivity reaction to medication, patches, local anesthetics or similar, or if you suffer from a serious cardiovascular or lung disease or an infectious disease. Please understand, also in your own interest, that a puncture cannot be performed without adequate information!

As a rule, we require a current blood coagulation test (at least Quick and PTT and thrombocytes) before the examination. The blood sample must be taken before the procedure (GP/family physician/outpatient clinic etc.) and unfortunately cannot be taken in our sonography unit for structural reasons! If you are taking anticoagulant medication such as aspirin, Marcumar, clopidogrel or direct oral anticoagulants, please clarify in advance (e.g. with the referring medical staff or with our medical staff) whether these medications must/can be discontinued.

On the day of the puncture, you must not eat or drink anything before the examination (at least 6 hours abstinence from food). If you are diabetic, please discuss the procedure (tablets, insulin administration, etc.) with the medical staff and inform us on the day of the procedure. The puncture procedure is as follows: After local anesthesia of the puncture site, a puncture needle is inserted through the skin into the target tissue under constant ultrasound guidance. The puncture is generally not very painful (comparable to inserting an intravenous cannula) and is a routine procedure that very rarely leads to complications. After the puncture, you will be monitored by us for at least one hour (for outpatient punctures). Finally, a control ultrasound is performed to rule out bleeding. In the case of inpatient punctures, the follow-up monitoring is determined individually depending on the risk of the puncture. On the day of the puncture and in the following days, you should avoid sport, heavy lifting and heavy pressing. If you experience any discomfort following a puncture, please contact us immediately (telephone +49 511 532-3415). If you cannot be reached, please contact or visit the emergency room at the MHH (phone +49 511 532-2097).