„... not seen due to overlying gas and fluid“. How often is abdominal ultrasound imaging impaired?

Aim: To examine the frequency of abdominal ultrasound examinations with reduced diagnostic information due to bowel and gastric gas or intraperitoneal fluid. Methods and materials: We retrospectively reviewed reports of abdominal ultrasound examinations from 622 patients (368 men-254 women, aged 15–92 years) who presented in our hospital's emergency department. All patients were examined by a 3–5 year radiology Resident or a Consultant radiologist. We assessed the sonographer's ability to adequately examine all solid organs (right and left lobe of the liver, portal vein, gallbladder, head, body and tail of the p…