10-28-10 lab DMS 110

Today we scanned both kidneys and the spleen, and we put color Doppler on the image to visualize the blood flow. We adjusted the velocity ( the ideal one was around 9 or below), the doppler gain, and the frequency. The attached image represents the spleen with color Doppler. We can see the blood vessels well.
I enjoyed this lab better than the previous ones, because I feel more comfortable finding the ideal window for the kidneys. I tried different windows, including the intercostal and posterior. The posterior window is difficult to see due to the muscles, ribs and fat that got in the way, but the kidney is closer to the surface, so the color Doppler will show more blood flow. The intercostal window was the one I used the most, combined with deep inspiration. What I found more difficult today is using the Doppler succesfully. I am not sure if the U/S machine was too old, or the organs were too deep, but I was not able to see the blood vessels too clearly.

10-21-10 DMS 110 lab

Today we scanned the pancreas, great vessels, liver, gall bladder and the commom bile duct in one hour. For the gall bladder, we had the patient in two different posotions: supine, and left lateral decubitus. The included image was obtained in the decubitus position, following the long axis of the gall bladder. I helps a lot to interrogate and obtained gall bladder images in two different positions, in case we need to asses for stones, polyps or sludge. Stones and sludge will be gravity dependent, while the polyps are not.

DMS 110 lab 10-07-10 Abdomen US pictures

Today we scanned the pancreas ( for the first time), GV, and the liver all in one hour. I was able to complete all the required images, but not without help from my instructor, especially when looking for the pancreas. I found it harder to visualize, than all the other organs, since it does not have a capsule, and it varies from patient to patient. I can improve the speed of my study, over time, as I get more practice imaging a large number of people, and my eye gets used to recognizing where the pancreas lies.