Ultrasonography of the gastrointestinal tract and associated organs in dogs and cats.

摘要

The use of ultrasonography for the investigation of gastrointestinal diseases has increased considerably over the past decade. The main advantage of this imaging technique is that the gastrointestinal walls and motility can be readily assessed, replacing more complex and time-consuming barium contrast studies in many cases. Ultrasonography also allows the direct visualisation of surrounding structures such as the pancreas, lymph nodes and peritoneal cavity, and can help to guide further procedures such as fine-needle aspiration and biopsies. This article describes the normal and abnormal findings that can be seen on ultrasound examination of the gastrointestinal tract and associated organs.