Use of Thoracic Ultrasonography in the Ambulatory and Referral Setting

Thoracic ultrasonography is a widely used diagnostic technique for the evaluation of equine thoracic diseases in both the ambulatory and referral settings, yielding information about the lung and pleural cavity that can be attained noninvasively and stallside. The side(s) of the thorax affected, as well as the precise location of lesions, can be determined in most horses because the involved lung segment is usually pleuralbased (exceptions are lesions located in the axial portion of the lung with no peripheral lung involvement or a hernia in the axial portion of the diaphragm with no gastrointestinal viscera against the thoracic wall or dorsal displacement of the peripheral lung). The character of pleural fluid can be determined ultrasonographically, as can the type and severity of many types of pulmonary parenchymal disease. The cranial mediastinum can also be evaluated ultrasonographically.