Why do we ask you to drink water before an ultrasound?

Prostate 

When you come in for an ultrasound at Xplore Radiology, we might ask you to drink water first (drink 1 litre of water 1hr before the appointment time and hold). The reason for this is that the full bladder creates a window to help show the baby and organs or for a renal ultrasound, a full bladder helps us visualise the wall of the bladder.

For most ultrasounds where you require a full bladder. You might need to drink 1 litre (four cups) of water one hour before your appointment. You should not empty your bladder once you have started drinking the water.

You may feel like you need to go to the bathroom during your ultrasound, but it is important that you hold it in until after the test is done. If you empty your bladder before the ultrasound is finished, we may not be able to obtain all of the images we need and you may need to come back for another appointment.

If you have any questions about how much water you should drink or what type of ultrasound you are having, please ask your technologist or doctor. They will be happy to help!

What is an ultrasound?

An ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image of the inside of the body. It is a painless and safe test that can be used to look at various parts of the body, including the:

heart

blood vessels

organs

muscles

joints

tendons

https://xploreradiology.com.au/drink-water-before-an-ultrasound/