DIAGNOSTICS - Heart Diagnostic Imaging Flashcards
What can radiography of the heart be used to assess?
Heart size
Individual heart chamber enlargement
Evidence of congestive heart failure
Position of heart
What are the two orientations that should be used to radiograph the heart?
Right lateral view
Dorsoventral (DV) view
Identify the following features on this right lateral radiograph of the heart
Identify the following features on this dorsoventral (DV) radiograph of the heart
What size should a normal heart appear on a radiograph of a dog?
2/3 height of thorax
1/2-2/3 width of thorax
Take up 3-3.5 intercostal spaces
What size should a normal heart appear on a radiograph of a cat?
2/3 height of thorax
1/2-2/3 width of thorax
Take up 2-3 intercostal spaces
What can echocardiography be used to assess?
Internal structures of the heart
Myocardial function
Blood flow through the heart
What is echocardiography?
Ultrasound of the heart
What position should the patient be in for an echocardiogram?
Right followed by left lateral recumbency
What is hypostatic congestion?
Hypostatic congestion is the partial collapse of the lung by the heart and mediastinum when an animal is in lateral recumbency
How does the other lung compensate for hypostatic congestion?
The other lung will hyper inflate to compensate
Why should you scan the heart from the lower thoracic wall when an animal is in lateral recumbency?
You should scan the heart from the lower thoracic wall when an animal is in lateral recumbency as the apex of the heart will partially collapse the lower lung, improving image quality and you will avoid imaging the upper hyper inflated lung which would usually obscure the image
What is the best transducer to use for echocardiography?
Phased array transducer
How does the lumen of the heart appear in an echocardiogram?
Anechoic (black) due to the blood in the lumen
How does the cardiac muscle appear in an echocardiogram?
Echogenic (grey)
How does the pericardium appear in an echocardiogram?
Hyperechoic (white) with an acoustic shadow and reverberations
What is brightness (B-mode) echocardiography?
B-mode echocardiography produces a real-time grey-scale image of the heart.
What are the two main standard views that should obtained during echocardiography?
Right parasternal view
Left parasternal view
Which side of the heart is in the near field (top) of the ultrasound image in right parasternal views?
Right side of the heart
Which side of the heart is in the far field (bottom) of the ultrasound image in right parasternal views?
Left side of the heart
What are the three standard right parasternal short axis views of the heart that should be obtained during echocardiography?
Left ventricle
Mitral valve
Heart base
Which standard view of the heart is represented in this image?
Right parasternal short axis view of the left ventricle