Diagnostic ultrasound has become an essential and widely used tool in veterinary medicine. This non-invasive and comparatively inexpensive technology has become a routine standard of veterinary medical care and can aid in the diagnosis of many conditions that can afflict our pets.

Ultrasound is very safe, non-painful, and does not emit radiation or other carcinogen exposure. High frequency sound waves are emitted from the ultrasound probe and are pulsed through the skin and into the body. These sound waves are then impeded by different tissues in the body (organs, fluid, gas) and are bounced back as echoes, which are then displayed by the machine’s computer as high-resolution cross sectional images. A trained sonographer guides the ultrasound probe over the area of interest in order to obtain the best images. In veterinary medicine, technicians or veterinarians with special training can obtain images, however a veterinarian must interpret the images to make a diagnosis.

It is important to realize that imaging an organ does not usually tell us about its function (or how well it’s working), but using ultrasound in combination with other blood work and testing can help complete the diagnostic picture. Most pets do not need any sedation for an ultrasound exam, but a few may require some light sedation to help them relax. Ultrasound can also be used to aid the clinician in safely obtaining fine needle aspirate samples of organs for cytology. In these situations, mild to moderate sedation is usually used for the pet’s safety so they don’t wiggle during the procedure.

During a complete abdominal ultrasound the sonographer images all of the major organs including the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, spleen, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, prostate (in males), and uterus (in intact females). Ultrasound can also be used in select cases to visualize some structures in the chest, neck, musculoskeletal system, and eye. A special type of ultrasound exam, called an echocardiogram, is used specifically to image the chambers, valves, and blood flow of the heart. In this situation an echocardiogram does tell us about how the heart is functioning because the sonographer also measures blood flow and velocity, and specific pressures across the valves in the heart.

At Seattle Veterinary Associates we work directly with specialists who are board-certified in Radiology and Cardiology to provide you and your pet with the best possible ultrasound studies and medicine. Dr. Maryam Salt, at our Queen Anne Animal Clinic location, also has a special interest and some advanced training in ultrasound and can provide some services based on your veterinarians discretion.

 

Ultrasound

Ultrasound was used to diagnose a tumor inside the urinary bladder of a 16 year-old female cat that was presented by her owner for straining to urinate.

Maryam Salt, DVM

Queen Anne Animal Clinic