Ultrasonographic Examination of the Equine Neonate: Thorax and Abdomen

Diagnostic imaging can substantially augment physical examination findings in neonatal foals. Used in combination with radiography or as a stand-alone imaging modality, ultrasound evaluation of the thoracic and abdominal body cavities can be a high-yield diagnostic undertaking. Many of the conditions that afflict neonatal foals are highly amenable to sonographic interrogation, including pneumonia and other changes in the lungs associated with sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction, and prematurity; colic arising from medical and surgical causes; and urinary tract disorders. Sonographic imaging is not affected by intracavitary fluid accumulation and reveals abnormalities of soft tissue and bony origin.