Veterinary Ultrasound Course

Lesson 1 • Ultrasound Physics Essentials

Covers acoustic wave behaviour, frequency, and tissue interaction. Establishes the physical basis needed to understand image formation throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Transducer Handling and Probe Care

Covers ergonomic probe grip, coupling gel application, and disinfection protocols. Ensures safe equipment use and consistent image quality from the start.

Lesson 3 • Ultrasound Equipment Overview

Introduces machine components, transducer types, and console controls. Connects hardware knowledge to practical image optimisation tasks.

Lesson 4 • Common Ultrasound Artefacts

Identifies reverberation, shadowing, enhancement, and mirror artefacts. Teaches artefact recognition to prevent misdiagnosis in clinical practice.

Lesson 1 • Documentation and Image Archiving

Covers labelling conventions, cine-loop capture, and DICOM archiving standards. Proper documentation supports case review, referral, and quality assurance.

Lesson 2 • Patient Positioning Fundamentals

Teaches dorsal, lateral, and standing positions for optimal organ access. Correct positioning minimises bowel gas interference and improves window quality.

Lesson 3 • Image Optimisation Techniques

Applies gain, depth, focus, and time-gain compensation adjustments in real time. Optimised images are prerequisite to accurate organ assessment.

Lesson 4 • Systematic Scanning Approach

Introduces organ-by-organ scanning sequences to ensure complete examination. A structured protocol prevents missed lesions and supports consistent reporting.

Lesson 1 • Adrenal Gland Imaging

Identifies normal adrenal location, shape, and size in dogs and cats. Accurate adrenal imaging supports endocrine disease workup.

Lesson 2 • Pancreatic Ultrasound

Locates the pancreas using duodenal and gastric landmarks and assesses echogenicity. Pancreatic imaging is challenging and requires precise probe angulation.

Lesson 3 • Liver Anatomy and Normal Appearance

Reviews hepatic lobar anatomy and normal echogenicity relative to spleen and cortex. Establishes the baseline needed to detect pathological changes.

Lesson 4 • Splenic Evaluation

Covers normal splenic architecture, size estimation, and vascular anatomy. Prepares students to identify splenic masses, torsion, and diffuse disease.

Lesson 1 • Gastrointestinal Tract Assessment

Teaches five-layer wall identification, motility observation, and luminal content evaluation. GI wall layering is the primary indicator of intestinal pathology.

Lesson 2 • Stomach and Duodenum Imaging

Covers gastric rugal fold assessment, pyloric evaluation, and duodenal wall measurement. These segments are key landmarks for abdominal survey orientation.

Lesson 3 • Urinary Bladder and Urethra

Evaluates bladder wall thickness, luminal contents, and trigone region. Bladder assessment is among the most common small animal ultrasound indications.

Lesson 4 • Gallbladder and Biliary System

Assesses gallbladder wall, luminal contents, and common bile duct diameter. Biliary imaging completes the hepatic evaluation begun in the previous chapter.

Lesson 1 • Female Reproductive Tract Anatomy

Reviews ovarian, uterine, and cervical anatomy across species. Anatomical knowledge is prerequisite to distinguishing normal from pathological findings.

Lesson 2 • Fetal Viability and Well-Being

Assesses fetal heart rate, movement, and fluid volume as viability indicators. These parameters guide decisions on medical vs. surgical intervention.

Lesson 3 • Uterine Pathology Detection

Identifies pyometra, hydrometra, cystic endometrial hyperplasia, and uterine masses. Early detection directly impacts patient survival outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Pregnancy Diagnosis and Staging

Teaches gestational sac detection, embryo visualisation, and fetal age estimation. Accurate staging guides breeding management and whelping preparation.

Lesson 1 • M-Mode Cardiac Measurements

Applies M-mode to measure chamber dimensions, wall thickness, and fractional shortening. These measurements quantify systolic function and guide treatment decisions.

Lesson 2 • Doppler Cardiac Assessment

Uses pulsed, continuous, and colour Doppler to evaluate valve flow and detect regurgitation. Doppler adds haemodynamic data beyond structural B-mode findings.

Lesson 3 • Cardiac Anatomy Review

Revisits cardiac chambers, valves, and great vessel anatomy in dogs and cats. Anatomical orientation is essential before acquiring standard echo windows.

Lesson 4 • Common Cardiac Pathology Recognition

Identifies dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pericardial effusion. Pattern recognition skills are built on the measurement skills from prior sections.

Lesson 1 • Joint and Muscle Evaluation

Detects joint effusion, synovial proliferation, and muscle tears using dynamic scanning. Dynamic assessment distinguishes structural from functional abnormalities.

Lesson 2 • Thoracic Ultrasound Technique

Covers intercostal probe placement, pleural line identification, and lung sliding assessment. Thoracic scanning complements radiography in emergency and critical care.

Lesson 3 • Pulmonary Consolidation and Masses

Identifies hepatisation patterns, air bronchograms, and peripheral lung masses. Peripheral consolidation is accessible to ultrasound when pleural contact exists.

Lesson 4 • Tendon and Ligament Imaging

Applies high-frequency linear probes to evaluate tendon fibre alignment and tears. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is especially valuable in equine and canine sports medicine.

Lesson 1 • Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Basics

Introduces microbubble contrast agents, injection protocols, and perfusion pattern interpretation. Contrast enhancement improves lesion characterisation beyond conventional B-mode.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Ultrasound Guidance

Explains freehand vs. needle-guide techniques, needle visualisation, and sterile field setup. Procedural safety depends on mastering needle-to-beam alignment before sampling.

Lesson 3 • Fluid Drainage and Centesis

Guides abdominocentesis, thoracocentesis, and cystocentesis using real-time imaging. Ultrasound guidance reduces complication rates in fluid drainage procedures.

Lesson 4 • Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Emergencies

Applies focused abdominal sonography for trauma and rapid cardiac assessment protocols. POCUS skills enable fast triage decisions in critical and emergency patients.