Echocardiography Q&A
What is Color Doppler Ultrasound? What are the benefits of clinical examination?
It can display the state of blood flow in tissues and organs, and can distinguish the direction of blood flow, measurement speed, obstruction, blood flow, etc. Provide more information about clinical diagnosis.
How does ultrasonic image quality help clinical examinations?
With good ultrasound image quality, no matter what part of the examination (heart, abdomen, cerebrovascular, etc.), the texture and structure of the organs should be clearly shown. Provides a more accurate diagnosis of the lesion clinically.
Why do pets need a cardiac ultrasound examination?
Cardiac ultrasound can detect the blood flow of the heart, the movement of the myocardium and valves, the thickness of the myocardium and the diameter of the cavity... etc. to diagnose congenital and later congenital heart diseases and assess the severity. In addition, 2D images can be used to directly see heartworms, heart masses, pericardial effusion and even cloud-like images of thrombus or hypercoagulable state in the heart. High-order ultrasound is more important in the heart examination of cats, because the cat’s heart is small and the heartbeat is faster, so accurate measurement is needed to avoid ignoring the lesion or over-diagnosing.
What is heart disease in animals?
Heart disease in dogs and cats can be roughly divided into congenital and acquired. Congenital heart disease is related to breed, heredity and genes. The most common of these is an open arterial catheter, followed by aortic stenosis, pulmonary artery stenosis, ventricular septal defect and Fallot's quadruple malformation. Acquired heart disease is not only related to species and genetics, but also valve degeneration, high blood pressure, heartworm infection and other reasons can also cause diseases. Cardiac ultrasound is currently the most important diagnostic technique, and its level of detail for soft tissue examination is beyond the reach of general physical examination, electrocardiogram or even X-ray photography!
