So you've decided to breed your mare! This can be a very exciting time, but it can be overwhelming as well. The process is at times frustrating if you encounter fertility issues, and can be expensive even when everything goes perfectly. Once your mare is bred, routine ultrasound exams should be scheduled. Your veterinarian may wish to conduct the following exams...
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1...Obtain the best image possible.
Take the time to completely evacuate the rectum, and use plenty of lube for contact. If your ultrasound system provides variable frequency transducers, remember to operate at the highest frequency that still allows you enough depth to visualize all the pertinent structures; this will optimize the resolution of your image! You’ll acquire a higher quality (and larger!) ovary image scanning at 6cm than you will at 12cm. In addition, become familiar with your equipment; experiment with gain, contrast, and persistence in order to achieve the image that you desire.
We've just uploaded several short video tutorials on features commonly used on the unique and powerful EVO veterinary ultrasound. You can find the EVO Shorts playlist on our EIMI University YouTube Channel!
With the breeding season upon us once again, could it be time to reconsider the status quo with regard to transrectal ultrasound transducers?
First of all, thanks for a great 2020! In spite of everything, we've had a great year.
Detailed instructions on these features and more are found in the owner's manual, found at www.eimedical.com/library.
If you’re anything like me, you barely scratch the surface with regard to using all the features on your gadgets. I know that my iPhone, laptop, and GoPro are capable of all kinds of fun things that I don’t take advantage of. Well, it’s very likely that your veterinary ultrasound also has some hidden gem features that you haven’t used!
Many equine practitioners who have not come from a sport horse background can be intimidated by the thought of imaging the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament. Getting comfortable with ultrasounding these structures can help you to pay off your equipment faster and provide an important diagnostic option for your clients.
Use a transducer designed for tendon imaging. These probes are higher frequency (and therefore offer finer detail) than a linear rectal probe, for example. The footprint, or size of the imaging window of the transducer, is also smaller, so the structure takes up a larger portion of the monitor. In addition, a tendon probe is ergonomically designed to make tendon imaging easier. A standoff is useful when evaluating more superficial structures, but is not necessarily required for obtaining a good suspensory image.
Develop a consistent system. There are several “zone” systems out there; what is important is that you use the same method every time so that you know what your labeling means when archived images are recalled.
Always image distal limbs in two planes, and always image bilaterally. Because tendon areas, for example, will differ among animals of various sizes, the best way to judge pathology in one limb is to compare it with the contralateral one. Save images in longitudinal and cross sections, and label them accurately with zone, measurements, and date.
With recently confirmed pregnancies in your broodmare herd, we thought we’d bring you some ultrasound images of equine pregnancies at various stages of gestation...
26-day [L6E transducer]
As a veterinarian, you’re trained to understand what you see on an ultrasound machine, but your equine client may be baffled by the images. They may not even know what ultrasound imaging actually is or does, or its value as a diagnostic tool. Here are some tips for explaining ultrasound images to horse owners.
