Ultrasound vs. CT in Large Dogs

Have you ever tried to ultrasound a large breed dog, and just felt like you’re missing something up under the ribs? Us too… all the time, even with the best of the best probes. Abdominal CT in sedated dogs has recently been found as significantly better at detecting mass lesions than Ultrasound in dogs > 25kg. In addition, we get information on surrounding muscle and bone, and if there is a mass, a quick “met-check” CT of the thorax is easy, and cheaper than adding on radiographs. We may be suggesting this in large or deep chested dogs as an alternative to ultrasound, and option of doing under sedation rather than GA will bring the costs down too. #technologytuesday

Fields et al, Vet Radiology and Ultrasound, 2012.