Abdomen radiographs Flashcards
tell me about the minimum legal standard for abdomen views and the best clinical practice
min. legal: 2 views = R or L lateral AND VD or DV
best practice: 3 views (R and L lateral, and VD)
tell me about the technique used for abdominal radiographs. why?
High mAs, low kVp
due to low inherent contrast in abdomen, we want to lower kVp to increase the contrast as much as we can.
tell me how you should position a patient for abdominal radiographs, including best practice for views and what to include in each view.
straight patient with extended limbs, image taken on expiration
3 views (R lat, L lat, VD)
include all of diaphragm to greater trochanter of femurs (back to perineum is even better)
tell me about the special position Cross Table
animal in dorsal recumbency, plate against R/L side of abdomen, radiograph across cranial ventral portion of abdomen
tell me about the special position Spoon
if you straighten the back lags on lateral view, you get a better view of the bladder
tell me about the special position “tucked pelvis”
bring back legs into body on lateral view
allows visualization of caudal pelvic urethra and distal urethra
what are some causes of decreased serosal detail? (i.e the serosal borders of the organs in the peritoneal/retroperitoneal space are less easily visualized)
peritoneal fluid
inflammation
decrease intra-abdominal fat
young animals generally less than 6 months
carinomatosis
what does increased serosal detail usually mean? what should you do?
pneumoabdomen/pneumoretroperitoneum
immediate sx
what are some causes of pneumoabdomen?
normal post sx (up to 4 weeks)
perforated intestines
abdominal wall trauma
perforated abscess
gas-forming bacteria
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the cranial ventral zone of the abdomen
visible: stomach, liver
not visible: gallbladder, pancreas, lymph nodes
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the cranial dorsal zone of the abdomen
visible: R kidney, spleen, stomach, liver
not visible: adrenals, portal vein, CdVC
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the ventral middle zone of the abdomen
visible: spleen, SI, omentum
not visible: Lymph nodes
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the dorsal middle zone of the abdomen
visible: L kidney, desc. colon, SI, cecum
not visible: ovaries, ureters, lymph nodes, CdVC
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the caudal ventral zone of the abdomen
visible: prostate, urinary bladder
not visible: uterus, lymph nodes
tell me what organs are visible and not visible in the caudal dorsal zone of the abdomen
visible: rectum, desc. colon
not visible: ureters, lymph nodes
tell me the indications behind a radiographic GI workup
high yield (chronic vomiting, palpable abdominal mass)
low yield (acute vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain, lethargy)
tell me some causes of vomiting. what should be high on your ddx?
pyloric outflow obstruction, bowel obstruction, gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, toxicosis, biochemical alterations
foreign body of obstruction will be the most common reason abdominal radiographs are made
vomiting vs regurgitation… ???
vomiting: forceful expulsion of gastric content, stomach or lower is the problem
regurgitation: passive, usually assoc. with esophagus
tell me about timing for gastric emptying. how long do you have to fast a patient to expect an empty stomach?
gastric emptying time can vary b/t 8-24 hours depending on a variety of factors
fast patient for 24 hours for empty stomach
The appearance of the stomach varies between the _____ of the patient. This is caused by a shift in ____ and ____ distribution. ____ will settle in the dependent region by gravity and ____ rises to the independent portion. ___ and contrast are easy to see, _____ can be difficult to see because it can efface with adjacent organs.
position
fluid, gas
fluid, gas
gas, fluid
tell me about the normal location of the stomach.
either perpendicular to the spine, parallel to the ribs, or somewhere between those angles
adjacent to liver
with stomach radiographs, why is it important to take both lateral views?
on L lateral, gas rises to pyloric portion and fluid settles in fundus and body
on R lateral, gas rises to fundus and body, fluid settles in pyloric portion
you find a foreign body in a radiograph. if clinical signs allow, what should you do?
repeat radiographic in 1-3 days to reveal if foreign body is moving. if moving, then it reduces clinical significance.
in gastric dilation, what could the stomach be dilated by? what is the most common? what does a dilated stomach look like on radiograph?
gas, fluid, ingesta, foreign material
most common is food engorgement
enlarged but normal shape
Gastric dilation and volvulus:
1. what is present in the stomach?
2. where is air from?
3. typical signalment?
- fluid and gas, mostly a gaseous distention of the stomach
- aerophagia (not likely bacterial)
- large, deep chested dogs (eg. Great Dane)
tell me what happens to hte stomach during a GDV
as stomach dilates, fundus/greater curvature rotate clockwise when viewed from caudal to cranial, and lie against the ventral abdominal wall
the pylorus shifts dorsally, cranially, to the left
gastrosplenic ligament tends to draw spleen with volvulus
what view(s) do you need to diagnose a GDV?
typically, only right lateral
what are the radiographic signs of GDV?
marked gastric distension
displacement of pylorus
compartmentalization of stomach
tell me the positions of the small intestine
duodenum lies along right lateral body wall, most fixed portion of intestine
jejunum and ileum are moveable throughout abdomen, usually distributed evenly
tell me the normal dimensions of small intestine in dogs and cats
dogs: <2x 12th rib, <1.6x L5 body
cats: <2x L4, <12mm