Mobile Ultrasound Service

All veterinarians around the world desire the ability to manage all of their patients care from admission to discharge. Likewise, the patient’s owners prefer to have their animal stay at one facility and to be cared for by the veterinarian they know and trust.

Our Mobile Ultrasound service provides mobile ultrasound referral consultation, directly at your hospital, in order to help you manage your patients in your premises; allowing for seamless patient care, with minimal to no patient transport, faster and less intrusive diagnostics testing and cost-effective patient care for the pet owners.

At HKVUS, we offer you not only abdominal, cardiac and small parts ultrasound; but also cage side systemic blood pressure measurement and coagulation evaluation in case biopsy samples are needed. By doing so, our expert sonographers are capable of scanning a patient, assessing the patient for post-aspirate of biopsy risk and then collecting any samples that might be required to accurately diagnose the underlying pathology.

Please contact us directly at info@hkvus.com or link to our DrView Platform to organise an appointment.

Ultrasound is a non-invasive, painless diagnostic procedure that helps veterinarians examine and assess internal body structures. Our very thorough ultrasound protocols allow us to deliver you with very detailed and complete ultrasound reports for each case.

Ultrasound images are available to you on your online account via out platform.

Echocardiography

Echocardiography allows us to determine very quickly whether your patient’s clinical signs are attributable to cardiac disease. This will allow you to advance the treatment of your patient in a very timely fashion and reduce unnecessary costs and therapies.

Once the problem has been determined to be of cardiac origin, we can evaluate or confirm the presence of:

• valve structure and motion (prolapse)
• chamber sizes
• systolic function (myocardial contractility)
• diastolic function
• wall thickness
• arrhythmias
• pulmonary hypertension
• congenital defects
• pericardial space disease
• heart base tumors

This information is collected through the use of two-dimensional and M-mode imaging and colour-flow, pulsed wave and continuous wave Doppler. Tissue Doppler is available as well.

We are happy to discuss the echocardiographic findings with you but also recognise the importance of veterinary cardiologists in the management of your patients. When appropriate, we will recommend a second opinion by our cardiologist and assist in getting all the necessary information to them. Systemic blood pressure will be measured as part of the echocardiographic examination.

Abdominal Ultrasound

Urinary bladder, prostate, reproductive tract, intra-abdominal lymph nodes, small and large intestines, kidneys, adrenal glands, spleen, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and biliary tract, great vessels and mesenteric & serosal surfaces are evaluated.

If warranted, ultrasound guided aspirates and/ or biopsies can be performed subsequent to the initial scan.

Please ensure that patients are fasted (NPO) for at least twelve hours prior to the ultrasound examination (with the exception of obligate drinkers / eaters). Gastro-intestinal contents such as gas and ingesta can make the scan challenging and ultimately affect the diagnostics capabilities.

Micro-convex, linear and convex probes are used alone or in combination in an effort to visualise all intra-abdominal structures. Even the largest patients can be scanned efficiently and with a high degree of sensitivity.

Ultrasound examination for portosystemic shunts is also available.

Thoracic Ultrasound

Examination of the chest cavity in non-cardiac cases can be performed to diagnose pleural and parenchymal diseases. It is used to detect abnormalities such as increased fluid, lung masses, tumor and enlarge lymph nodes.

Every attempt will be made to evaluate the non-cardiac thoracic structures as well as the heart.

Linear and micro-convex probes are used to provide as much detail as possible regarding the sternal lymph nodes, lung masses, consolidated lung tissue, parietal pleural masses, mediastinal masses and pleural space.

Please keep in mind that only lung lesions within the equatorial regions of the lung lobes are amenable to scanning.

Thoracocentesis and / or Ultrasound guided Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or biopsy of thoracic masses can be performed subsequent to initial scan.

Please schedule those patients in the morning so that they can be monitored closely over the day should they have an aspirate or biopsy procedure.

Musculoskeletal

Using our very high frequency (18 Mhz) linear transducer, we can see internal structure of masses or swelling, which are the most common reasons for performing a musculo-skelettal examination. We are also able to detect lesions of the tendons and ligaments, distension of tendon sheaths, in some instance foreign bodies that are not visible on radiographs.

Pregnancy Ultrasound

Ultrasound is very sensitive for the diagnosis of pregnancy. Although pregnancy can be detected as early as 17-19 days in dogs and 11-14 days in cats, scanning at 21-25 days is usually recommended. Fetal viability is assessed by heart rate and fetal movement assessment. Please note that we will always estimate fetal numbers +/- two fetuses.

Thyroid-Parathyroid Complex and Cervical Ultrasound

Ultrasound of Thyroid/ Parathyroid is very useful for patients with unexplained hypercalcemia or a palpable cervical mass.

Using our high frequency linear probe, we are also able to obtain detailed images of the salivary glands, the esophagus, great vessels, cervical musculature and regional lymph nodes.

Exotics Ultrasound

Thanks to our high frequency probes, we are capable of providing abdominal and cardiac ultrasound to exotic species (rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, tortoise…)

Image and Report Management

All images, video clips and reports will be saved and provided in digital format, so that they can be viewed and shared at any time by the referring veterinarian or submitted for radiologist or cardiologist second opinion via our online platform DrView.

Interventional and Diagnostic Procedures

The following procedures can be performed at the time of the ultrasound or at a later date if desired:

• Pericardiocentesis (*)
• Thoracocentesis
• Abdominocentesis
• Gallbladder aspirate for culture
• Cystocentesis
• Pyelocentesis for culture
• Ultrasound guided Fine needle aspirates or biopsies

(*) We will be sure to discuss the risks associated with this procedure and the alternatives available.

A coagulation profile is not required prior to aspiration procedures. We will have all the necessary supplies to perform all of these diagnostic procedures. The cost for the materials is included in the aspirate charges.

A coagulation profile and direct blood smear evaluation for platelets are required prior to any biopsies. We would ask that clients be informed of this requirement and that they sign the appropriate consent form. Ideally, biopsies are performed in the morning so that we can evaluate your patient over the day. Twelve hours fasting is also very important.

Veterinarians requesting gallbladder aspirates for culture and sensitivity are asked to provide both aerobic and anaerobic culture tubes or transport media.

Sedation and / or anesthesia of the patient is the responsibility of the referring veterinarian.

The staff at HKVUS will be happy to discuss options and also provide any local anesthesia that is required.