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Comparison of transrectal and transabdominal transducers for use in fast localized abdominal sonography of horses presenting with colic.
Abstract: Abdominal ultrasonography is valuable in the diagnosis of equine colic. Fast localized abdominal sonography of horses (FLASH) enables practitioners with limited experience to perform ultrasonography in emergency settings. However, many practitioners only possess rectal format linear array transducers (RFLT). The hypotheses are: (a) A low frequency curvilinear transducer (LFCT) and RFLT will detect free abdominal fluid and abnormal small intestinal loops with similar frequency during FLASH, and (b) there will be a difference between the transducers for detection of gastric abnormalities and nephrosplenic entrapment. The objective is to compare transcutaneous abdominal ultrasonographic detection of abnormalities in horses presenting with colic using a LFCT and RFLT. Twenty-four horses requiring FLASH for investigation of colic were enrolled. Horses that were too painful to undergo transcutaneous abdominal ultrasonographic examination were excluded. A single investigator performed FLASH on all horses using a RFLT, while one of three other clinicians simultaneously performed FLASH using a LFCT. Comparison of abnormal findings between the two transducers was performed using Chi square, Fisher's exact or Wilcoxon tests. The incidence of identification of abnormal findings was similar between the two transducers for all comparisons except the visibility of the left kidney and stomach (kidney LFCT 81.25% vs. RFLT 22.92%, stomach LFCT 87.5% vs. RFLT 62.5%). While there are limitations to using a RFLT to identify nephrosplenic entrapment of the colon and detection of the stomach, it reliably detects other common abnormalities, including peritoneal effusion, lesions of the small intestine, and changes to the wall of the large colon and cecum.
Copyright © 2024 Haardt, Romero, Boysen and Tan.
Publication Date: 2024-01-04 PubMed ID: 38239746PubMed Central: PMC10794600DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1307938Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research compares the efficacy of two types of ultrasound transducers – rectal format linear array (RFLT) and low frequency curvilinear (LFCT) – for investigating colic symptoms in horses through a process known as Fast Localized Abdominal Sonography of Horses (FLASH). The study shows that both transducers are similarly effective in identifying several abnormalities, but RFLT fails to detect kidney and gastric anomalies as efficiently as LFCT.
Methodology
- The study involved 24 horses that required FLASH for the examination of colic symptoms. The researchers excluded severely suffering horses.
- Each horse was subjected to a FLASH examination with both an RFLT and LFCT quick on the heels of each other. A single investigator conducted all the RFLT examinations, while any of three other clinician investigators performed the LFCT examination.
- Statistical methods such as Chi square, Fisher’s exact or Wilcoxon tests were used for comparing the abnormal findings detected by two types of transducers.
Findings
- For all cases except for visibility of the left kidney and stomach, the accuracy of detecting abnormalities was comparable between the LFCT and RFLT.
- For kidney visibility, LFCT had a success frequency of 81.25% in contrast with RFLT’s 22.92%. Similarly, LFCT identified stomach abnormalities 87.5% of the time compared to RFLT’s detection rate of 62.5% for the same.
Conclusions
- The results indicate that while RFLT has some drawbacks, particularly in detecting nephrosplenic entrapment of the colon and the stomach, it is an effective tool for identifying other common abnormalities.
- Such abnormalities include peritoneal effusion, small intestine lesions, and changes to the large colon and cecum walls.
- Therefore, despite its limitations, RFLT can still serve as a reliable tool to veterinarians especially those with limited options due to the high cost of acquiring an LFCT or other preferred transducers.
Cite This Article
APA
Haardt H, Romero AE, Boysen SR, Tan JY.
(2024).
Comparison of transrectal and transabdominal transducers for use in fast localized abdominal sonography of horses presenting with colic.
Front Vet Sci, 10, 1307938.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1307938 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Department of Large Animal Surgery, Anaesthesia and Orthopaedics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.
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