Abstract:  In the United States, ultrasound is not currently the procedure of choice for evaluation of upper abdominal pathology, except for patients presenting suspected gallbladder disease. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have become the standards in clinical practice for evaluating the liver and pancreas, and upper endoscopy is the standard for evaluating the stomach and duodenum. Ultrasound is used less in the upper abdomen because of the ease of availability of the other, more expensive studies, the lack of appropriate clinical guidelines, and the generalized perception that ultrasound studies of the pancreas, stomach, duodenum, and liver are less accurate than those of CT and MRI. This article discusses the use of an oral contrast agent in studies directed at the upper abdomen. Please click on the PDF file to view this article. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. If you do not, please download a free version from www.adobe.com.