Recently, Animal Medical Clinic invested in an ultrasound upgrade to better serve our patients. The GE Versana Premier Ultrasound is a world-class machine designed for peace of mind. It delivers efficient, high-quality care, patient after patient, day after busy day. A wide variety of ultrasound probes and clinical features lets us provide quick and comfortable exams, see clearly, and diagnose a broad range of conditions. It offers a 21.5 inch monitor, color touch screen, and ergonomic keyboard to help streamline our examinations.
Why Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is used to diagnose diseases of the liver, kidney, heart and many other organs. It is also used for pregnancy diagnosis. It is a non-invasive technology that allows us to actually see inside the body. However, unlike x-rays, there is no radiation exposure to the patient. As the name implies, ultrasound uses very high frequency sound waves to form a picture of the internal organs similar to sonar. Compared to x-rays, which basically give an outline of the internal organs and bones, ultrasound allows us to actually see the internal architecture and structure of an internal organ. This is a major advantage over x-rays because it allows us to see abnormalities within the organs with much greater precision and accuracy. We are able to see tumors and other small localized abnormalities within the organs that are not visible on x-ray films. Another very important advantage of ultrasound over x-rays is that it allows us to measure the size of structures within the body and to visualize blood flow in arteries, veins, and organs within the body.
A major disadvantage to ultrasound technology is that it does not penetrate bone or air well, making it difficult to visualize the lungs or bones within the body. However, we can visualize the heart in the chest. This specific form of ultrasound exam is known as an echocardiogram or “echo” for short. This allows us to see in real time the heart beating and pumping blood. It gives us the major advantage of identifying congenital defects of the heart, degenerative valves, measuring how well the heart is contracting, measuring blood flow, and allows us to measure individual chamber sizes of the heart. Having this ability allows us to diagnose diseases that cannot be diagnosed through x-rays or other laboratory tests.
This is just another example of how we are investing in technology to provide high quality medical care for your pets.