What do we do?
We come to your pet's veterinarian to perform ultrasound at your neighborhood clinic. The ultrasound appointments are arranged through your veterinarian.
What is an ultrasound?
Similar to how dolphins use echolocation, ultrasound uses sound waves to see details that are unable to be visualized with x-rays (radiographs).
What is an ultrasound exam like?
For the exam, the area to be imaged will typically need to be shaved, as hair can severely compromise image quality. Then alcohol and a gel are applied, which allow sound waves to pass through your pet and back to the ultrasound probe, which forms the image. The exam is painless and there are no significant side effects for performing routine ultrasound exams. Patient's usually do well laying on their side during the exam, which may take from 10-40 minutes. In some patients who may be uncomfortable for the exam, some type of sedation may be given for them to relax, which can result in a better experience for your pet and a more diagnostic exam.
What is an ultrasound guided aspirate?
An aspirate is when a needle is used to obtain a sample of a potential abnormality. Using ultrasound guidance is beneficial to obtain aspirates in as safe a way as possible. While ultrasound is a wonderful tool to identify abnormalities, it cannot in many instances identify the exact cause. Obtaining an aspirate, allows a pathologist to look at cells from the potential abnormality, which can narrow, or possibly identify, the reason for an abnormality seen.
Who performs the ultrasound exam?
Great question! Learning to do ultrasound is similar to mastering a sport or hobby. Having a residency trained radiologist perform your pet's ultrasound exam is the best way to ensure that the exam was performed to a high standard. To explain further, a residency trained radiologist spends three years in a training program, just performing diagnostic imaging, after graduating from veterinary school. In fact, a veterinary radiologist focuses only on performing and/or interpreting diagnostic imaging procedures in animals (radiographs, ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and interventional procedures). Because there is a great need for ultrasound in veterinary medicine, there are many individuals performing scans with little training.
For further information:
Why you need a Veterinary Radiologist brochure.
American College of Veterinary Radiology FAQ's for pet owners.