Equine ultrasound: veterinary clinical solutions

Sonography is used in a variety of clinical fields to provide a comprehensive understanding of the health and well-being of horses. Great image quality and advanced diagnostic tools can enable you to identify both acute and chronic diseases.

Ultrasound in equine veterinary practice has changed the way many health issues are addressed and can be a valuable tool in diagnosing pathologies, injuries, and managing the follow-up and recovery plan to the best, especially for sport horses.
Esaote is committed to providing the best solutions possible for all clinical applications in veterinary medicine.

In equine veterinary medicine, portability is the key. A long-lasting battery and quick response time are essential for conducting multiple exams and accommodating the demanding schedules of freelancers and field sonographers. 

Musculoskeletal imaging is one of the most demanding ultrasonography uses in equine exams. The main reason for this is that leg injuries are common in sport horses. High-quality imaging, deep penetration, and precise superficial resolution are necessary. To precisely assess inflammation and lesions, guide treatment plans, and ensure the welfare of horses. ElaXto and QElaXto 2D technologies, both use Shear Waves Elastography, make it simple and reliable to evaluate elasticity of muscles and tendons, and follow-up on the recovery plan after injuries.

MicroV's excellent vascularization imaging also makes it possible to analyze inflammation. Furthermore, penetration and resolution are no longer compromised by the Esaote microconvex transducer and Linear XCrystal technology probes. These probes, in conjunction with the Trapezoidal View (Esaote TPV) increase the scan field and enable the acquisition of detailed images by reaching neighboring structures.

A key requirement for equine echocardiography is to reach at least 30 cm depth, necessary in all horses with normal heart size to visualize all four chambers from the right parasternal window.

Esaote’s PX 1-5, a Wideband Electronic Single Crystal Phased Array probe, you will reach very high image quality even in the deepest field which enables you to study heart functions in detail.

A dedicated equine cardiological package, B-Mode and Color Doppler guarantee high performances to execute a precise analysis of the cardiac muscle.

The sensitivity of CFM, (Esaote Color Doppler Technology), CW (Esaote Continuous Wave Doppler Technology) and PW (Esaote Pulse Wave Doppler Technology) help to identify and quantify even the smallest valve’s insufficiency. These modalities, together with the advanced measurements, give confidence to the diagnostic value.

Moreover, the Esaote CMM (Compass M-Mode) technology allows clinicians to correct M-Mode line position placing it in the right angulation to get accurate and reliable measurements in M-Mode.

Ultrasound imaging enables the visualization of soft tissues, organs, and structures, facilitating early detection of injuries, diseases, and abnormalities. Great image quality and advanced diagnostic tools are required to enable precise follow-up and correct diagnosis.

Assessing the vascularization and blood flow can be challenging due to the depth of these structures in large animals like ponies, donkeys, or horses. However, Esaote CFM and Power Doppler signal sensitivity allows for visualization of perfusion even in the deeper parenchyma layers, while the sensitivity for the smallest vessels and slow flow is maximized by Esaote microV.

Furthermore, the changes in soft tissues elasticity may provide information useful for diagnostic purposes. Esaote ElaXto (Strain Elastosonography) provides real-time stiffness assessment of many organs and parenchyma such as liver, kidney, parotid and spleen.
Moreover, QElaXto 2D, Esaote real-time Shear Wave Elastography, provides quantitative information about the tissue’s elasticity and allows a comparison of the data obtained over different periods of time to ensure objective follow-up.

Moreover, QElaXto 2D, Esaote real-time Shear Wave Elastography, provides quantitative information about the tissue’s elasticity and allows a comparison of the data obtained over different periods of time to ensure objective follow-up.

The diagnosis and monitoring of pregnancy, as well as the assessment of the reproductive tract and the staging of the estrus cycle, are fundamental aspects to ensure the welfare of the animal.

Esaote offers advanced measurement packages dedicated to reproduction applications that have been implemented referring to the latest literature. By highlighting a simple distance on the ultrasound image, the gestational age and the estimated delivery day are immediately estimated.

To assess the fetus' health, evaluating the heartbeat is also important. With the great sensitivity of Esaote PW (Esaote Pulse Wave Doppler Technology) you can easily monitor it even in the earliest stages of the pregnancy.

Designed specifically for veterinarian use, Esaote SV3513 endocavity probe enables you to clearly represent the reproductive tract and the fetus structures with the maximum resolution.