Indications for an ultrasound examination of the abdomen and/or retroperitoneum includes as follows:

• Abdominal, flank, and/or back pain.
• Signs or symptoms that may be referred from the abdominal and/or retroperitoneal regions, such as jaundice or hematuria.
• Palpable abnormalities such as an abdominal mass or organomegaly.
• Abnormal laboratory values or abnormal findings on other imaging examinations suggestive of abdominal and/or retroperitoneal pathology.
• Follow-up of known or suspected abnormalities in the abdomen and/or retroperitoneum.
• Search for metastatic disease or an occult primary neoplasm.
• Evaluation of cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) stents; screening for hepatoma; and evaluation of the liver in conjunction with liver elastography.
• Abdominal trauma.
• Evaluation of urinary tract infection and hydronephrosis.
• Evaluation of uncontrolled hypertension and suspected renal artery stenosis.
• Search for the presence of free or loculated peritoneal and/or retroperitoneal fluid.
• Evaluation of suspected congenital abnormalities.
• Evaluation of suspected hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, intussusception, necrotizing enterocolitis, or any other bowel abnormalities.
• Pre-transplantation and post-transplantation evaluation.
• Planning for and guiding an invasive procedure.