Assessment of equine gastrointestinal tract using transabdominal ultrasonography: a new approach

Abstract

Transabdominal ultrasonography is reported to be an important diagnostic tool used in horses with abdominal pain. Detailed knowledge of the topography of the major areas that provide diagnostic values for each sonographic window with regard to the changes in the gastrointestinal tract should be well established. The aim of this study was to describe the new areas of the abdominal cavity of the horse examined using transabdominal ultrasonography and evaluate the possible ultrasound changes in animals of different sizes, thereby determining the applicability and difficulty in performing this technique. Twenty horses were examined using transabdominal ultrasonography at a convex transducer frequency of 2.5–6.6 MHz at eleven established zones. The horses were divided into two groups based on their size. The potential for identification of the structures in each window was compared; the ultrasound characteristics and wall thickness in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract were described. Abdominal division in specific sonographic zones did not negatively impact the examination time, and the normal standards for the evaluated windows were defined. No sonographic differences were observed in the lumen size and thickness of all parts of the gastrointestinal tract evaluated according to the size of the animal. Abdominal division enables a more precise and standardized topographic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby enabling diagnosis of the changes and positioning that originate from different intestinal colic syndrome etiologies. This enables quick and accurate diagnosis.