Overview

Interventional ultrasound covers a broad category of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including biopsies, cyst aspirations, and drainage of fluid collections in the chest, abdomen and subcutaneous tissues.

Preparation For Your Exam

In general, it is preferred to avoid eating solid food and liquids other than water for 6-8 hours prior to the examination.  Routine medications may be taken.  If you are a diabetic, consult with your doctor regarding insulin dose.

During The Exam

How long will it take?
Interventional procedures may be preceded by diagnostic ultrasound scans.  Because of the wide variety of procedures that may be performed, the time may vary from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.  Certain procedures, such as biopsies of deep abdominal organs, aspiration of fluid collections in the chest, and certain other procedures may necessitate a post-procedure observation period of 1-3 hours to ensure patient well being.

Will it hurt?
There may be some discomfort associated with these procedures.  Many can be performed with local anesthesia (similar to Novocaine used by dentists).  More involved procedures may require administration of painkillers and/or anti-anxiety medications.  The most involved procedures generally will involve insertion of a small intravenous line and monitoring by our Radiology nursing staff in order to administer medications intravenously.  Every effort is made to minimize any discomfort during the procedure.

After the exam

You may have some mild soreness after the procedure, but, generally, this is relatively minimal.  If medications have been administered, you may feel somewhat drowsy during the recovery period and you should make arrangements for someone else to accompany you and to bring you home after the observation period, since operating machinery, such as driving, should be avoided for several hours after the procedure.

Getting Your Results

The results of the scans will be available to your physician on the day following the examination. If biopsies, cultures or other tests are performed on the material obtained during the ultrasound interventional procedure, these results may take several days to be completed. You may call your doctor to obtain the results.