• VET Ultrasound Clinical Solutions

    VET Ultrasound Clinical Solutions - Therapy

    The first steps in treating animals are diagnosis and therapy. But a good follow-up to therapy is just as important. Esaote systems support the veterinarian in developing a therapy plan as well with the follow-up.

The calf in colic: surgery or no surgery?

Clinical Need

In farm animal medicine, possibilities for diagnostics are often limited in comparison to the companion animals. This is due to the fact that the work is on farm instead of in a clinic, this makes several diagnostic procedures often too time consuming. An extra reason to make optimal use of the diagnostics that are available most of the time, like ultrasound.

The calf in colic: surgery or no surgery?

Ileus is a common illness seen in calves. The causes of ileus can broadly be divided in two subcategories: a mechanical ileus or a paralytic ileus. The treatment of both subcategories differ completely. In a mechanical ileus surgery is almost always needed, while a paralytic ileus can best be treated by conservative therapy (1).

But how can we decide upon the cause of ileus in a specific calf?

Next to our clinical examination of the animal, blood analysis (if possible) or analysis of free fluid in the abdomen (preferably punctured under ultrasound guidance) can support the decision making process. But also ultrasound can be a valuable tool (1). Most large animal vets already work with ultrasound on a regular basis, and have an ultrasound machine quickly available. Unfortunately, these ultrasound machines are often only used for reproduction in horses/cows and/or tendon problems in horses. But in the case of colic in the calf, this ultrasound machine can be valuable in the decision making process.

Clinical Solution

With a big convex probe (for example AC 2541) organs like liver, small intestines, omasum, etc. can be visualized in a transabdominal way. Also the endo rectal transducer can be used to get a better overview about other parts of the abdomen than uterus and ovaries only. This can help the clinician in diagnosing enteritis, dilated intestines, peritonitis, invaginations etc. With this information the veterinarian can decide in a more informed way what’s the best therapy for the patient. Next to that it gives you an idea about the prognosis of the patient.

MyLabOneVET

We invite our users of Esaote Ultrasound equipment to use our ultrasound machines for more than only reproduction, but also for abdominal ultrasound in farm animals. Our portable systems like for example the MyLabOneVET and MyLabDeltaVET are perfectly suitable for on farm diagnosis.

MyLabDeltaVET: robust and splashproof

MyLabDeltaVET: Easy to clean

Bibliography

  • 1. Pardon, Bart. Kalf met koliek: open of niet. sl: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 2015.

Technology and features are system/configuration dependent. Specifications subject to change without notice. Information might refer to products or modalities not yet approved in all countries. Product images are for illustrative purposes only. For further details, please contact your Esaote sales representative.

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