Best Practices for Dog Veterinary Ultrasounds

Choice Medical Systems, Inc. offers a fantastic range of ultrasound imaging tools that help veterinarians scan all animal anatomy. These medical innovations are becoming more affordable for veterinary offices while continuing to help improve pathology detection and diagnosis. Read on to learn more about the best practices for dog veterinary ultrasounds in your veterinary office!

#1 Professional Training and Practice

As ultrasound technology continues to evolve, the ultrasound images you can obtain will improve in quality. However, you and your team of veterinary technicians will still need to continue learning how to correctly operate each machine you purchase for your office.

Typically, it takes at least 200 ultrasound scans of each anatomical region for a veterinary radiologist to develop a dependable understanding of ‘normal’ scans and irregular or medically significant artifacts within the scans.  On-site education and training is a great tool to help your team hone their ultrasound skills. 

#2 Take Advantage of Veterinary Settings

Many ultrasound machines offer a simple selection of default settings to minimize set-up time at each ultrasound appointment. These presets will help you obtain better initial images of the internal organs you need to visualize for diagnostic purposes.

#3 Properly Prepare the Scan Area

It is essential to follow the best veterinary practices for ultrasound preparation. It isn’t enough to simply part the fur in the scan area because the fur can trap air which will negatively impact the image. You should trim the fur from the scan area before applying the gel.

Following this simple step will help to ensure the best imaging results from your ultrasound scans.

#4 Understand Frequency, Depth, and Resolution

Veterinary medicine relies on the clarity of the images your ultrasounds produce. To obtain superior image clarity, you will need to understand how different ultrasound frequencies affect the final image.

Higher frequencies are best for organs that are not hidden deep within the body, and this frequency typically provides high-resolution images.

Lower frequencies can reach deeper organs with ease, but the depth comes with a cost to clarity and resolution.

#5 Explore Time-Gain Compensation

The time-gain compensation controls influence the brightness and contrast. If you are struggling to see organs at a greater depth when using lower ultrasound frequencies, you can use the time-gain compensation to lighten the darker images that low frequencies create.

#6 Use Focal Point Features

Some ultrasound machines offer advanced settings that include focal point controls. Some machines can create multiple focal points in varying positions to improve your imaging results.

Providing Affordable Veterinary Ultrasound Tools and Training

At Choice Medical Systems, Inc., we offer affordable and accessible ultrasound and transducer machines for veterinary and medical providers. You can rely on our training and education services with experienced radiologists for expert training for your new devices.

Are you ready to take your veterinary practice to the next level while leveraging technology? Contact Choice Medical Systems, Inc. today by calling 727-592-5668. We provide the necessary tools and training to help you perform the best practices for dog veterinary ultrasounds.