Abdominal Ultrasound

Question 1

Indications for abdominal ultrasound

Answer 1

-colic
-weight loss
-diarrhea
-organ dysfunction
-fever
-hypoproteinemia
-ADR

Question 2

what organs can be ultra-sounded transcutaneously

Answer 2

-stomach
-duodenum
-small intestine
-cecum
-large colon
-liver
-spleen
-kidneys
-bladder
-gravid uterus

Question 3

what organs can be ultrasounded transrectally

Answer 3

-small intestine
-cecum
-large and small colon
-spleen
-left kidney
-bladder
-uterus and ovaries
-aorta and associated vessels
-abdominal lymph nodes
-mesenteric root

Question 4

The _____ the frequency the greater the depth of penetration but the ____ detailed the image will become

Answer 4

lower, less

Question 5

How is a patient prepped for transcutaneous ultrasound?

Answer 5

-ideally the entire are to be imaged should be clipped with a 40 blade (line from point of elbow-> tuber coxae and ventral until midline) or if image can’t be obtained
-practically clean area of dirt, isopropyl alcohol or ultrasound gel as a coupling agent, and either localized clipped regions if need or entirety of area clipped.

Question 6

define FLASH ultrasound

Answer 6

Fast Localized Abdominal Sonography of the Horse is a technique utilized in colic cases to image specific locations most likely to identify visible abnormalities in many causes of colic

Question 7

What factors do you evaluate when imaging abdominal organs

Answer 7

-location
-size
-shape
-margins
-echogenicity (in order of decreasing hypoechoicity kidney-> liver-> spleen

Question 8

What structure can be seen at location A in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 8

cecum

Question 9

What structure can be seen at location B in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 9

right kidney

Question 10

What structures can be seen at location C in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 10

right dorsal colon, liver, duodenum

Question 11

What structures can be seen at location A in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 11

spleen, liver

Question 12

What structures can be seen at location B in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 12

spleen, stomach

Question 13

What structures can be seen at location C in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 13

spleen, left kidney

Question 14

What structures can be seen at location D in a flash ultrasound?

Answer 14

spleen, small intestine

Question 15

What side of the horse is the liver best imaged?

Answer 15

right

Question 16

Why can focal lesions in the liver be missed with ultrasonography?

Answer 16

The whole liver cannot be images as much of the liver is deep to the lung fields

Question 17

When horses age which liver lobe atrophies shifting the whole liver making in difficult to view the liver on both sides of the body during ultrasonography?

Answer 17

right lateral liver lobe

Question 18

Besides the labeling in this image what criteria tells you this is an image of the liver?

Answer 18

-sharp margins
-branching vascular pattern
-no gall bladder
-bile ducts not seen (unless distended)

Question 19

What side is the spleen visible on?

Answer 19

left

Question 20

Besides the labeling in this image what criteria tells you this is an image of the spleen?

Answer 20

granular homogenous appearance with few blood vessels

Question 21

Describe the general shape of both horse kidneys

Answer 21

right- heart shaped
left-bean shaped

Question 22

Besides the labeling in this image what criteria tells you this is an image of the kidney?

Answer 22

size, echogenicity, corticomedullary distinction

Question 23

What factors due you assess when looking at the gastrointestinal tract?

Answer 23

-diameter
-motility
-wall thickness
-location
-contents

Question 24

A normal small intestine does not dilate larger than _____ in diameter?

Answer 24

5-6cm

Question 25

State the echogenicity of the following gastrointestinal wall layers: serosa, muscularis, submucosa, and mucosa

Answer 25

serosa-hyperechoic
muscularis- hypoechoic
submucosa-hyperechoic
mucosa-hypoechoic

Question 26

Where is the jejunum best visualized?

Answer 26

left inguinal area

Question 27

Where is the duodenum visualized

Answer 27

cranial to cranial poll of right kidney, deep to the liver