Practical Use of Ultrasound Scan in Small Ruminant Medicine and Surgery

Modern portable ultrasound scan machines provide the veterinary clinician with an inexpensive and noninvasive method to further examine sheep on farms, which should take no more than 5 minutes with the results available immediately. Repeat examinations allow monitoring of the disease process and assessment of therapy. 5 MHz linear array scanners can be used for most organs except the heart and right kidney. Transthoracic ultrasonography is particularly useful for critical evaluation of lung and pleural pathologies. Transabdominal ultrasonographic examination can readily identify distended urinary bladder and advanced hydronephrosis.