Abdominal Ultrasonography of Normal and Colicky Adult Horses - Proceedings of AAEP Focus Meeting - Quebec, 2005

For better image quality, the hair of the patient should be clipped using a #40 surgical blade from the xiphoid process of the sternum to the pubis ventrally and bilaterally from the paralumbar fossa to the elbow, ventral to the lung fields. The skin should be thoroughly cleaned. Alcohol and warm ultrasound coupling gel applied to improve contact. Proper preparation for transrectal ultrasound include adequate restraint of the patient, administration of sedation as needed, and use of obstetrical lubricant. For transcutaneous evaluation, sector scanner transducers with frequencies of 2.5-5 MHz and 5-10 MHz microconvex linear array transducers are required. Transrectal ultrasonography can be performed with linear or microconvex linear array transducers with a frequency of 5-10 MHz.