Ultrasound through a lot of fat

[steinber]

I'm being sent for a ultrasound of my gallbladder because I'm having issues around there. My worry is I'm carrying a lot of fat around there and am worried the ultrasound won't see through it properly. Anyone else had this problem?

(When I had the kids ultrasound they actually made notes about not being able to see clearly because of obesity)

In my experience, for a gallbladder US obesity doesn't impact the results as much as it does for a pregnancy US. It might take a little longer but I wouldn't worry about it, tbh. If the results are inaccurate or non-conclusive then you may be referred for other tests.

For pregnancy ultrasounds, if they can't get a good image through the abdominal fat they can use a vaginal wand to get an image from the other side of the fat barrier. I imagine the same technique would also allow for an image of the gall bladder if needed. It's not exactly pleasant but it doesn't hurt and it might be that it's the only way they can get the information they need to help with your health issue. But maybe that won't be necessary for you. Good luck.

The gp is still recommending an ultrasound because he says gallstones don't show up to well on a CT scan.