ULTRASOUNDS
Ultrasound is an advanced, non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique that is painless. A computer image is displayed using sound waves that help us evaluate the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenal glands, lymph nodes, gall bladder, and urinary bladder. Ultrasound can be used to avoid unnecessary surgery as it allows us to detect the spread of cancer.
The ultrasound below displays a Mitral Valve Insufficiency Heart Murmur:
What information can you acquire from a cardiac ultrasound?
The cardiac ultrasound is a valuable tool to determine the function of the heart.
It gives you specific values that can be compared to a normal chart. You can determine the strength of the heart contraction, the size of the heart chambers, the volume of blood being pumped from the heart, torn heart valves and tumors in the heart. With this information, you are able to make a treatment plan with medications that help the heart do the work more efficiently and easier.
What does an abdominal ultrasound look like?
What information can you acquire from abdominal ultrasound?
You can evaluate each abdominal organ for different pathologies. You can find things such as masses, fluid, foreign bodies, bladder and kidney stones, and the list goes on. You can perform an ultrasound guided aspirations on masses and organs that have an abnormal echo appearance for cytology. Aspiration of an organ requires only mild sedation and the pet can go home the same day.