Pipes and Pumps
These vessels differ from arteries by being collapsible, having valves, and carrying blood toward the heart.
What are veins?
This echogenic structure separates the right and left lobes of the liver on ultrasound.
What is the main lobar fissure?
The gallbladder is divided into these three anatomical parts.
What are the fundus, body, and neck?
The primary duct of the pancreas, which joins the common bile duct, is named this.
What is the duct of Wirsung (main pacreatic duct)?
The spleen is located in this region of the abdomen, protected by the ribs.
What is the left hypochondrium?
Gas in the bowel lumen is responsible for this type of movement, which propels contents through the digestive tract.
What is peristalsis?
The area behind the peritoneum, housing organs such as the kidneys, is called this.
What is the retroperitoneum?
The kidney is divided into these two main regions, with the outer portion being darker due to increased blood perfusion.
What are the cortex and medulla?
This abdominal aortic branch is responsible for supplying blood to the stomach, spleen, and liver.
What is the celiac trunk/artery?
This vessel in the liver appears as a tubular structure with bright echogenic walls, distinguishing it from hepatic veins.
What is the portal vein?
This duct connects the neck of the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct.
What is the cystic duct?
This small, curved portion of the pancreas lies posterior to the superior mesenteric vein and anterior to the inferior vena cava.
What is the uncinate process?
This congenital anomaly of the spleen, often found near the hilum, results from the failure of splenic tissue to fuse.
What is an accessory spleen (splenunculus)?
The stomach is divided into these three main parts.
What are the fundus, body, and pylorus?
This structure is located superomedial to the left kidney and superior to the pancreas.
What is the left adrenal gland?
The functional unit of the kidney, responsible for filtering blood and forming urine, is called this.
What is the nephron?
This branch of the aorta supplies the majority of the small intestine and the right side of the large intestine.
What is the superior mesenteric artery?
The ligamentum teres is the remnant of this fetal structure and appears as a bright echogenic line on ultrasound.
What is the umbilical vein?
The sphincter of Oddi controls the release of bile into this part of the small intestine.
What is the duodenum?
On ultrasound, the pancreas typically appears with this echotexture compared to the liver.
What is hyperechoic or isoechoic?
The spleen stores and recycles this component of blood, which helps transport oxygen.
What are red blood cells?
This term refers to the folds within the stomach that allow it to expand when filled with food or gas.
What are rugae?
On ultrasound, this muscle lies medial to the kidneys and is often used as a landmark for retroperitoneal imaging.
What is the psoas muscle?
On ultrasound, the renal cortex appears this way compared to the liver parenchyma.
What is hypoechoic?
This vessel runs posterior to the pancreas and joins with the superior mesenteric vein to form the portal vein.
What is the splenic vein?
This segmental anatomy system divides the liver into eight segments based on vascular and biliary structures.
What is Couinaud's system?
After gallbladder removal, this bile duct structure may dilate to compensate for the loss of bile storage.
What is the common bile duct?
On transverse ultrasound, the pancreas is best visualized in this position, with the transducer angled upward from the epigastrium.
What is the oblique position?
The spleen's red pulp performs this vital function, removing damaged or old red blood cells.
What is culling?
The duodenum and transverse colon, often containing gas, lies in this position relative to the pancreas.
What is anterior?
On ultrasound, enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes are typically seen in this position relative to the aorta and inferior vena cava.
What is anterior?
This congenital anomaly, where the kidneys fail to ascend into their normal position, is often detected in the pelvis.
What is ectopic kidney?
This Doppler finding indicates normal blood flow in the abdominal aorta, showing a pulsatile waveform with high resistance.
What is multiphasic flow?
This is the liver's primary metabolic function, where dietary sugars are converted to glucose and stored as glycogen.
What is carbohydrate metabolism?
The normal gallbladder wall should measure less than this thickness in centimeters.
What is 0.3 cm?
This enzyme produced by the pancreas aids in digesting fats and is a key laboratory marker for pancreatic disorders.
What is lipase?
The spleen is part of this system, which includes filtering blood and producing immune responses.
What is the reticuloendothelial system?
On ultrasound, gas appears as these two types of artifacts due to its inability to transmit sound.
What are reverberation and shadowing artifacts?
This ligament connects the peritoneum to the posterior abdominal wall and is critical in retroperitoneal anatomy.
What is Gerota's fascia (renal fascia)?
These Doppler measurements are used to assess blood flow resistance in the renal arteries and evaluate for potential obstruction.
What are resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI)?