FAQs

It is preferable to start a diet, in order to reduce artifacts from intestinal meteorological barrage, three days before the examination consisting of boiled potatoes, boiled carrots, boiled zucchini, plain pasta or rice, white meat or white fish and cooked fruit; the morning of the examination we recommend having a light breakfast with biscuits and tea; in summer you should drink roughly one litre of water starting one hour before the examination; in winter you need only drink half a litre of water (as perspiratio insensibilis is decreased).

For those who suffer from constipation, an evacuation enema is recommended the night before the exam.

Unfortunately, as already explained in other sections, hollow viscera containing air constitute an obstacle to ultrasound exploration (which is why a pre-examination diet without fibres must be carried out); however, the walls of the large intestine are fairly identifiable, so medium-sized exophytic wall tumours can be diagnosed. On the other hand, the small parietal polyps remain substantially unexplored.

The same applies to hollow viscera containing air, which become an obstacle to the penetration of ultrasounds; however, large hiatal hernias are easily identifiable thanks to the rise of the gastric fundus beyond the diaphragmatic hiatus, while the anterior-posterior diameter of the cardias increased beyond a threshold value gives us indications on the presence of a possible valve incontinence.

No, fortunately, as already explained in the site’s specific section (Method Synthesis) ultrasound scans  consists of acoustic waves of compression and rarefaction of air and crossed means, therefore completely harmless on biological tissues. Ionizing radiation is not taken in contrast to traditional radiographic examinations and even more so with computed axial tomography (CT) examinations.

The premise to address this topic is that ultrasound diagnostics studies very well the dense glandular juvenile breast, while it loses effectiveness on the involute fibroadipose breast. Each woman has her own biological clock, so it is difficult to establish an age at which mammography exploration begins to be necessary. As a result, it will often be the first ultrasound scan or vice versa the first mammogram to establish the patient’s breast type, and therefore this first examination will help dictate a personal prevention agenda based on the characteristics of one's breast.

Due to the great variability of existing breast types, many women present a breast improperly defined as ‘mixed’, that is, partly still juvenile dense glandular and partly involute fibroadipose; thus, the two techniques are integrated allowing a complete exploration of the breast, provided that they are carried out at a short time distance from each other (maximum 1 or 2 months) or even better simultaneously.

With regard to kidney stones deriving from calcium oxalate the following food should be avoided: Milk and derivatives, eggs, chicory, green beans, chard, spinach, tomatoes, dried figs, walnuts, bananas, prunes, plums, gooseberries, watermelon, herring, pepper, cocoa, chocolate.
No alcohol including wine and low in animal fats (eggs, cheeses) Drink 2 litres of light water per day (recommended fixed residue < 50 mg\dl)

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Eat foods with low fibre content: poor in refuse they are intended to protect the intestine and to avoid further damage to the diverticula present. Eat light meals and avoid abundant meals.

Drink at least ten glasses of water distributed throughout the day to "wash" the intestine and fight constipation.
Choose white bread without the soft inner part or slices of toast. Eat small pasta, rice, semolina, rice cream.
Vegetables that are either cooked or pureed: carrots, potatoes, spinach, fennel, chard. Avoid artichokes, turnip greens, dried and fresh legumes (beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, soy and its derivatives).
Fruit that is cooked and pureed. Always eat very ripe fruit, devoid of peel and seeds.
Avoid dried fruit (nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, chestnuts, dates, figs) and dried fruit (plums, apricots, apples ...) 
Wine, beer and spirits should be excluded or significantly reduced.
With regard to meats: choose the tenderest and least fibrous parts of beef, veal, lamb and poultry.
Defatted raw and cooked ham and bresaola are fine.
It is advisable to choose unfermented cheeses: crescenza cheese, cow or sheep ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, robiola.


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Foods to avoid-  foods that can directly irritate the oesophagus and gastric mucosa:
• Spicy foods: pepper and hot chili are among the ‘irritating’ foods, especially for the oesophagus.
• Fatty foods: they are often a cause of reflux but also of a worsening of the symptoms because they stimulate the production of a greater amount of acid during digestion, especially foods rich in saturated fats, therefore dairy products, butter, cream, fresh cheese, sausages, pork and fried foods. Also avoid meat preparations that require many hours of cooking such as stews, braised meats and meat sauce. In fact, fats can cause both a decrease in the pressure of the cardia and slow gastric emptying.
• Hot foods and liquids: may worsen lesions in the stomach or intestines or intensify symptoms of acid reflux.
• Mint and chocolate: contain ‘harmful‘ chemicals that can stimulate the release of acids into the stomach and relax the cardia.
• Caffeine and theine: coffee, tea, alcohol, can directly irritate the stomach.
• Citrus: Oranges, grapefruit and lemons, orange and blueberry juice, tomatoes and sauce, and all acid-based foods.


Preferred foods: protective foods of the gastric mucosa: 
• Some fruits: exotic fruits are better for hiatal hernia. Especially pineapple and papaya because they contain respectively bromelain and papain, two digestive enzymes that help the body to deconstruct some ingested proteins.
• Salt: especially iodized salt.
• Fish: is rich in omega 3 that brings particular benefits to the stomach.
• Cereals: Pasta, rice and bread act against excessive gastric acidity as they absorb gastric juices.
• Fruit and vegetables. Apples, bananas and potatoes have a soothing effect on the stomach walls.


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