Ultrasound is a versatile imaging modality with the potential to provide much quantitative and qualitative information in both clinical and research settings. Ultrasound has the capacity to provide both anatomical and physiological information in real-time, and also offers images with high temporal and spatial resolution. Furthermore, ultrasound is relatively non-invasive and is not associated with a radiation burden to the patient. These advantages, as well as the capacity to provide this information in a simple, fast and pain free examination has meant that there has been a huge increase in the number of applications of ultrasound since its introduction in the early 1960s. It was not until the 1980s that ultrasonographic assessment of the stomach and its contents were explored, and, since that time, a number of new techniques have been developed which can provide more comprehensive information in a single ultrasonographic exam.