Term
| Does the abdomen have low or high inherent contrast? So do you use a low or high kVp technique for rads? |
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Definition
| Low contrast -> low kVp technique |
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Term
| Do you take abdominal rads on inspiration or expiration? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| When patient >10cm thick. |
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Term
| What are the standard (small animal) views for abdominal rads? |
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Definition
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Term
| What's the D/V view good for? |
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Definition
| Mostly nothing...but can see stomach. |
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Term
| What normally provides contrast surrounding abdominal organs? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are 4 causes of decreased serosal detail? |
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Definition
1. Young patient (fat has higher water content)
2. Thin patient (less fat to provide contrast - radiologists love fat cats!)
3. Giant abdominal mass
4. Abdominal effusion |
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Term
| How can you tell you're looking at a young patient? |
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Definition
| Open growth plates (e.g. on vertebral bodies) |
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Term
| How can you differentiate effusion from a mass in the abdomen? |
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Definition
Effusion: gas-filled bowel floats to the middle.
Mass: bowel is displaced peripherally. |
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Term
| What causes increased serosal detail and what should you think when you see it? |
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Definition
| Gas surrounding organs increases contrast. Think: GI perforation, or penetrating wound (e.g. surgery), or gas-producing organisms. Mayday! |
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Term
| What's the best view to look for small amounts of free gas (e.g. from a suspected GI perforation)? |
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Definition
| LEFT lateral recumbency (to get fundus of stomach out of the way, since it normally contains gas): horizontal beam V/D or D/V. Look for gas caudal to diaphragm at highest point. |
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Term
| What can cause ventral displacement of the colon? |
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Definition
| Sublumbar lymphadenopathy, retroperitoneal effusion. |
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Term
| How far should the liver extend past the chondral arch normally? |
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Definition
| Not much. The gall bladder may protrude ventrally. |
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Term
| Where do you see the spleen? |
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Definition
| Head is in dorsal left abdomen attached to stomach. Tail is mobile: usually seen caudal to the pylorus (ventral abdomen) in dog on lateral view; not seen on lateral view in cats. On V/D view, seen on right side of rad (left side of body!) in triangle formed by gastric fundus cranially, body wall laterally, and left kidney caudally. |
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Term
| Where do you see the normal stomach on lateral rads? |
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Definition
| Perpendicular to spine in dogs, J-shaped in cats. Caudal to liver, cranial to pancreas and t'verse colon. Does not extend past last rib. |
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Term
| What defines a gastric dilation? |
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Definition
| Stomach extends past last rib on lateral view; pylorus and fundus in normal position. May be filled with food, gas or combo. |
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Term
| What view is best to see a GDV? What does it look like? |
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Definition
| RIGHT lateral view. May look like a boxing glove (compartmentalized appearance). Pylorus displaced craniodorsally; fundus displaced caudoventrally. "Pylorus on left = surgery!" (Remember that pylorus should normally be on right and ventral.) |
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Term
| What are some abnormalities associated with GDV that you might look for? |
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Definition
Gassy bowel and/or esophagus.
Gas in stomach wall (necrosis) - visible as band of radio-opacity. |
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Term
| What might you see on rads to make you think "Pancreatitis"? |
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Definition
| A widened pyloroduodenal angle. Since this is where the pancreas normally sits, if the angle is widened the pancreas is probably inflamed. |
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Term
| What does normal intestine look like on rads? |
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Definition
Dogs: Cats: <12cm
Filled with fluid or gas. Granular material might mean foreign body. |
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Term
| What might indicate small intestinal obstruction? |
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Definition
Small bowel loops "stacking" like balloon animals.
Some dilated loops and some normal.
Can you see a FB?
Is the patient happy and wagging or painful/lethargic and vomiting despite NPO? |
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Term
| What are some indications of a linear foreign body? |
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Definition
Plicated (hair-scrunchy) intestine.
Paisley-shaped gas bubbles (instead of oval gas shapes).
Not necessarily distended. |
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Term
| What would tend to constrict the small intestine? |
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Definition
| Carcinoma ("napkin-ring" growth)...as opposed to lymphoma which is not typically constrictive. |
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Term
| What is the hallmark of functional ileus? What 2 things can cause this condition? Are they emergencies? |
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Definition
Uniformly enlarged bowel loops (as opposed to a mechanical obstruction, in which some loops are enlarged and some are normal).
Can be caused by ischemia (usually a mesenteric volvulus) - which can be identified by gas-filled bowel and is a surgical emergency with poor outlook...or by enteritis - which can be identified by variably fluid-filled bowel and is not surgical. |
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Term
| What is definition of obstipation? |
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Definition
| Animal cannot defecate by itself. Tends to produce a lot of smelly mucus in attempt to lubricate rectum, which owners can mistake for diarrhea. |
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Term
| Which kidney is more cranial? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the size of a normal kidney in the dog? Cat? |
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Definition
Dog: 2.5-3.5x length of L2
Cat: 2-3x length of L2
Measure length on VD view since up kidney will be magnified on lateral view. |
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Term
| Are ureters normally seen? |
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Definition
| No, unless patient is super fat. Best way to visualize is with iodinated contrast (can be administered IV - kidneys concentrate and excrete it). |
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Term
| Where is the normal prostate located? |
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Definition
| Caudal to the bladder. Should be intrapelvic. |
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Term
| What is the size of the normal prostate? Is it seen in rads? |
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Definition
| <70% the length of the cranioventral aspect of the sacrum to the pubis on lateral view. Seen in dogs but never in cats (normal prostate). |
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Term
| What's the best way to visualize adrenal glands? |
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Definition
| US (i.e. not rads). Adrenal glands visible on rads only when mineralized. |
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Term
| Where is the uterus located? Is it usually visible on rads? |
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Definition
| Between colon and bladder on lateral rads. Usually not visible unless gravid. |
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Term
| How can you tell a pregnant uterus from a hydro-, muco-, or pyometra? |
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Definition
| You can't on rads until fetuses show mineralized bone (around day 40). US shows fetuses earlier (e.g. beating heart). |
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Term
| What are some signs of fetal death on rads? |
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Definition
Gas-filled fetus/uterus
Overlapping skull bones
Loss of fetal flexion
Mummification (amorphous wad) |
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Term
| What are the 3 types of filling defects (when speaking of GI contrast images)? |
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Definition
Extramural
Mural
Intraluminal |
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