Equine Abdominal Ultrasound Flashcards
What are the indications for an abdominal ultrasound?
Colic
Weight loss
Diarrhea
Organ dysfunction
Fever of unknown origin
Hypoproteinemia
ADR
Which organs can be seen both transrectally and transabdominally on equine ultrasound?
Small Intestine
Cecum
Large Colon
Spleen
Bladder
Why is it difficult to to see more internal structures on abdominal ultrasound?
Because the large colon is full of gas, and ultrasound doesn’t penetrate gas
What characteristics are we evaluating when we look at normal abdominal organs?
Location
Size
Shape
Margins
Echogenicity
What is the location of the liver:
6-15th ICS (right side)
6-9th ICS (left side)
Which liver lobe is often atrophied in older horses and what is the resulting location?
Right lateral lobe
Shifts liver to the right
Do horses have a gallbladder
No
What is the location of the spleen?
-Left ICS 8 to the paralumbar fossa
-Against body wall
-Variable extension to ventral abdomen
What is the appearance of the spleen?
Granular, homogenous appearance with few blood vessels
The right kidney is ____ shaped while the left is ____ shaped
Heart, Bean
What are the locations of the right and left kidneys, respectively?
Right: rostral paralumbar fossa to ICS 16
Left: Paralumbar fossa and dorsal ICS 16 to 17; deep to spleen
Which kidney is more cranially located?
Right kidney
What characteristics do we evaluate on the GI tract?
Diameter
Motility
Wall thickness
Location
Contents
Diameter of the small intestine should be ______
Less than 5-6 cm
Moving
What are the 4 layers of the GI tract?
Serosa
Muscularis
Submucosa
Mucosa
What are the echogenicities of the layers of the GI tract?
Serosa/Submucosa: Hyperechoic
Muscularis/Mucosa: Hypoechoic
What is the normal thickness of the GI tract and what is the one exception?
3-4 mm or less; stomach can be up to 7.5mm
Where is the jejunum best visualized?
Left inguinal area
Where is the duodenum located?
Cranial to the cranial pole of the right kidney; deep to liver
What are the normal wall thicknesses of the small intestine?
Duodenum and jejunum: <3 mm
Ileum: up to 4-5mm
How many peristaltic contractions should be visualized per minute on U/S of the small intestine?
6-15 contractions/min
Where is the right dorsal colon located?
Right ICS 6-15; deep to liver
How should the cecum/large colon appear?
Large diameter & gas filled
Sacculations (except for left dorsal colon)
Normal thickness of large colon and cecum?
<3 mm
