Radiology, Ultrasound & Endoscopy

Endoscopy

So what is an endoscope? An endoscope is a flexible tube with a very bright light and camera that can be used to see inside the body. We have many endoscopes at Central Georgia Equine Services.

Our small endoscope allows us to go into the nasal passages and look at the throat, guttural pouches, larynx and down into the lungs. It is small enough to pass even in foals.

Our Gastroscope is over 9 feet in length! We use this scope to look into the stomach to see if gastric ulcers are present. Gastric ulcers are common on many horses and can cause a variety of problems including colic, poor performance, behavioral problems and weight loss.

Our uterine scope allows us the see inside the uterus. This is important in valuable mares that have been unable to become pregnant. We can also do hysteroscopic insemination in cases where valuable semen is only available in very small doses.

For stallions and geldings we can use our scope to see the urethra and bladder. Urethral tears, bladder stones and bladder cancer can be diagnosed.

Our oral endoscope is specially designed for use in the mouth where we can see, video and photograph any areas of concern.

Radiology

It’s not just about broken bones; radiography is an important part of most lameness evaluations when conditions such as arthritis and navicular syndrome are suspected.

In addition radiography now plays an important role in most advanced dental procedures and an even more important role as a screening tool in the all important prepurchase exam.

$WEanling-Skull-fracture-$

Ultrasonography

Veterinarians use radiography to take pictures of bones and ultrasonography to take pictures of just about everything else. Ultrasound images are created by sound waves. Sound waves of a specific frequency are generated and reflected back to the probe which is held on or around the structure to be imaged. Different frequencies are used to penetrate different depths of tissue. A computer processes the image, which is then depicted on a viewing screen, much like a television.

At Central Georgia Equine Services we use special ultrasound probes to image different parts of the body. You probably already know we use ultrasound to look at the uterus and ovaries when breeding mares and monitoring pregnancies.

We can change probes and use ultrasound to examine the tendons and joints when damage is suspected. The ultrasound image can tell us when it is safe for your horse to go back to work after an injury.

You might not know that we use ultrasound to look at eyes, especially if a detached retina is suspected. We can ultrasound kidneys for damage and bladders for stones. An ultrasound of the lungs will show is pneumonia or pleuritic is present. Our large convex probe allows us to ultrasound the abdomen in our evaluation of the horse with colic.

Horses have huge hips and ultrasound is now a superior tool in pelvic injuries where a fracture is suspected because the pelvis cannot be easily radiographed in the horse.

Like our other imaging tools radiology, endoscopy and ultrasonography are now digital, letting us share images with experts for consultation when needed.