The improvement in quality and affordability of portable ultrasound (U/S) systems in equine practices enables more opportunities to use the modality than ever before.  It is most useful where it changes a decision or treatment pathway.  In this session we will cover how to improve confidence in the use U/S in primary care, and how to pick the cases where U/S informs our next diagnostic or therapeutic steps. 

Why U/S?

·       Portable technology with variable battery life and wireless connectivity

·       Superior to radiography for soft tissue structures

·       Real-time assessment of function, position, and motion

·       Potentially more affordable than other modailities

One common type of scenario for the use of point of care U/S (POCUS) is the acute abdominal case.  Sometimes the decision to refer or euthanase can be made solely on the severity of the patient’s pain levels, and a standard clinical examination.  At the other end of the spectrum, most practitioners would be confident in their next therapeutic steps with a horse, stabled for an orthopaedic problem, with a large pelvic flexure impaction palpable on rectal.  But there is a broad range of colic cases that sit between these examples, where the next steps might be a little less clear, and POCUS is rapidly becoming equine vets first choice to gain additional diagnostic information for their patients. 

POCUS is also valuable when dealing with unusual ‘false’ colic cases where a colic examination does not show an identifiable gastro-intestinal lesion, yet the horse shows signs of shock or is moderately or severely painful.  Examples will be explored in this session including pleuropneumonia, haemoabdomen, and cardiac disease. 

POCUS also improves the evaluation of pyrexic patients with few localising signs and improves the likelihood of a successful abdominocentesis.  The session will finish with examples of urgent ocular diseases where U/S adds value to the decision pathway. 

• After this session, equine and mixed practitioners will feel more confident to:
• -prepare the patient for POCUS
• -outline the benefits of POCUS to their clients
• -select suitable cases where POCUS will make a difference
• -interpret abnormal findings with a knowledge of normal ocular, abdominal and thoracic ultrasonographic anatomy.