These are a few recent canine examples. A prominent dilated venous structure in the centre of the liver is a frequent, relatively straightforward pointer to a likely diagnosis: In this video clip the liver is seen in transverse plane. The hypoechoic structure nearer the top of the picture is the portal vein which flows into a … Continue reading
Interesting cases from this week, happily doing well at present. The first, a cat with acute vomiting and profound malaise: The first two seconds of the examination. Don’t want to jump to any conclusions but a stomach dilated to that extent raises the prospect of mechanical or functional GI obstruction. And there’s some ‘stuff’ in … Continue reading
In my experience these can be outwardly quite deceptive. The degree of abdominal distention may not be pronounced. This patient presented as an ‘acute abdomen’ with haematemesis. On ultrasonography, the stomach was mildly dilated with fluid but normally-positioned and not gas-filled. Whereas dogs with small intestinal obstruction due to foreign bodies, for example, the stomach … Continue reading
Gallbladder mucocoeles are often a decision-making dilemma. Frequently they are incidental findings. Very occasionally they are secondary to hypothyroidism -in which case resolution with medical treatment is reported: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18518811 Otherwise, it’s a matter of surgery or wait and hope for the best. Personally I usually advise surgery if there are compatible clinical signs. If the … Continue reading
Hepatocutaneous syndrome is quite a complex subject -these are just a couple of images from this poor chap with severe footpad fissuring and crusting plus characteristic liver changes on ultrasonography… Continue reading
Advanced warning that this article includes one of the most amazing ultrasound images I’ve seen in some time. The patient is an 8 y.o. entire female Labrador presenting with acute malaise and pyrexa 40.5C. I’m a firm believer in the maxim that any dog with a rectal temperature >39.5C deserves survey ultrasonography of chest and … Continue reading
Ultrasonography is surprisingly good as a rapid, readily available imaging modality for screening potential pneumothorax patients. Since cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, pulmonary thromboemboli, pneumonia, pleural effusions and intrathoracic neoplasia can also be detected it’s a powerful tool. The technique can be mastered by anyone with a few minutes to spare. Apply a micro-convex probe to the … Continue reading
The thoracic medicine theme continues with this 3-month-old terrier pup. Initially presenting with stunted growth, matters then took a turn for the worse with sudden onset severe dyspnoea. On ultrasonography the heart was unusually difficult to see from the right side due to interposition of lung. From a left apical view the right ventricular wall … Continue reading
Now, this is a common problem. Dogs with dysuria and/or haematuria. You perform a full abdominal ultrasonogram and, behold! – an apparent soft tissue mass in the bladder. So, what is it? An FNA is generally regarded as being inadvisable since transitional cell carcinomas may seed along the needle line. Cystoscopy is certainly an option … Continue reading
