Ultrasound imaging options include:
- Abdominal
- Non-Cardiac
- Thoracic
- Cervical ( Thyroid, Parathyroid, Salivary glands and lymph nodes)
- Musculoskeletal
- Ocular
Additional services include:
- Ultrasound-guided aspiration
- Biopsy procedures
Description of Service and Procedures
The ultrasound imaging service provides abdominal, non-cardiac thoracic, musculoskeleta
l and ocular ultrasound, US-guided aspiration, and biopsy procedures. If clinically indicated, we can also perform contrast-enhanced ultrasound, which is useful in characterizing benign from cancerous lesions, primarily used in liver imaging.
Procedures
- All our ultrasound examinations are performed and/or finalized by a radiologist. None of the studies are performed by a technologist.
- Abdominal hair will need to be clipped to allow for adequate ultrasound evaluation o
f the patient.
- Patient fasting is needed for ultrasound examinations. Please be aware that patients should be fasted at least 8 hours before the examination to prevent food and gas interference. Pediatric or Diabetic patients should call the radiology department for feeding recommendations.
- The examination itself lasts approximately 30 minutes after which a report is quickly generated and made available to the primary clinician.
- Occasionally, sedation or anesthesia will be needed if the animal is stress or painful. Sedation or anesthesia will always be needed for ultrasound guided biopsies and aspirates.
- The duration of anesthesia is generally short, and the patient is monitored using sophisticated equipment including electrocardiogram, blood pressure and respiratory devices. Modern anesthesia drugs allow for quick onset of and recovery from anesthesia. Under direct supervision by a board-certified anesthesiologist, anesthesia is administered by highly trained veterinary nurse-anesthetists who select the drugs and administration protocol according to each patient’s individual requirements.