Blog post by Michael Dolinger, MD MBA
If you’ve ever dealt with persistent abdominal pain, diarrhea, or unexplained discomfort, you know how frustrating it can be to get clear answers. Sometimes, the only way to get to the root of the problem has been invasive tests like endoscopy, many of which don’t reveal the underlying diagnosis. But what if there was a simpler, quicker way to get a clearer picture of what’s going on inside your digestive system—without the discomfort? That’s where intestinal ultrasound (IUS) steps in.
What is Intestinal Ultrasound?
An intestinal ultrasound is a non-invasive, radiation-free test that uses sound waves to create images of your intestines. Unlike an endoscopy, there’s no need for sedation, bowel prep, or additional time off of work or school. The ultrasound probe is simply placed on the abdomen, and in real-time, a specialist can view the images of your intestines on a screen and walk you through what they believe is happening.
Why Use Intestinal Ultrasound?
IUS is incredibly useful for identifying whether your symptoms are related to inflammation, like in the case of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), or something else without any clear inflammation, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or disorders of the gut-brain axis. A recent study has shown that IUS is not only highly accurate but also quick to perform. In fact, it can accurately distinguish between inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and non-inflammatory issues like abdominal pain and diarrhea from IBS.
A Faster Path to Diagnosis
One of the biggest benefits of intestinal ultrasound is how fast it is. For example, in the study above, doctors were able to use ultrasound to pinpoint inflammation in about 80% of cases where it was present. This means that instead of waiting weeks or even months for an endoscopy, your doctor might be able to get the answers they need right there, in the exam room, and be able to triage your need for a diagnostic endoscopy sooner, alleviating a significant portion of your wait time. And the results are accurate—IUS was shown to be about 98% accurate when detecting inflammation in patients presenting with abdominal pain.
Non-Invasive and Convenient
Let’s be honest—prepping for a colonoscopy isn’t exactly fun, especially in young children. Between the fasting, the anesthesia and sedation, and the recovery, it’s an exhausting process. With IUS, there’s no need for any of that. You simply show up, and the procedure is painless, taking just about 15 to 30 minutes. Plus, it doesn’t use any harmful radiation, making it safe for repeated use, especially for patients who may need ongoing monitoring for IBD. IUS can be done first, prior to a colonoscopy, as a screening tool to determine if your physician really thinks you need a more invasive test or not.
Who Can Benefit?
Anyone experiencing unexplained abdominal symptoms like diarrhea or pain could benefit from an IUS, especially if your doctor suspects IBD. It’s also helpful for people who may have already been diagnosed with a condition like IBD, as it can be used to monitor disease progression, treatment response or as a screening tool for disease assessment if there are flare-ups or new concerning symptoms.
If you’ve been hesitant about going through with a colonoscopy or are just looking for a quicker, more comfortable alternative before deciding if you really need one, talk to your doctor about IUS. It could be the easy, painless solution you need to get answers fast and start feeling better.
**Our open access series are blog posts highlighting intestinal ultrasound research that is freely available for public consumption. These blog posts summarize the key points from the latest intestinal ultrasound open access original research, editorials, guides, and consensus statements. The original link to download the article for free in full can be found by clicking here. Otherwise, the summary above should provide some of the valuable information you may be looking for.
