Animal Ultrasound Machine Basics
Veterinary sonography machine imaging principle
The ultrasound probe converts electrical energy into ultrasound, which are transmitted into the body of the small animal through the medium, i.e. the coupling agent applied to the surface of the small animal's skin. When the ultrasound encounters the interface of two media with different densities, the interface reflection occurs. The reflected ultrasound becomes an echo, which is still received by the ultrasonic probe and then converted into digital and analog to form the final ultrasound image.
Note: Ultrasound are sound waves that are inaudible to human ears. Sound waves above 20k Hz are ultrasound, and sound waves below 20k Hz are hyposonic waves.
Composition of animal sonography machine
Animal ultrasound machines mainly consist of two parts, namely the main unit and the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe is a key component of ultrasound imaging equipment. Its task is to convert electrical signals into ultrasonic signals or vice versa. The main unit of the ultrasound diagnostic instrument mainly processes and displays the signals received from the probe.
portable veterinary ultrasound machine S0 main unit and probe
Advantages of Ultrasound Examination
1. No radiation damage, non-invasive examination technology;
2. Rich information, clear image layers, close to the real anatomical structure;
3. Dynamic real-time display of the active interface for easy observation;
4. Good display capability for small lesions;
5. Able to obtain cross-sectional images of various orientations, and accurately locate the lesion and measure its size according to the structure and characteristics of the image display;
6. Can detect cardiac contraction and relaxation function, blood flow, gallbladder contraction function, etc.;
7. Can obtain results in a timely manner, and can conduct dynamic follow-up observations repeatedly.
Features and applications of probes
Linear array probe:
Features: This probe has parallel crystals that can produce high-resolution images, especially suitable for shallow tissue and small animals.
Application: Mainly used for bone examination, superficial tissue (such as skin, muscle), blood vessels and small animals.
Convex array probe:
Features: This probe has arc-shaped crystals, suitable for deep tissue examination, providing a wide field of view.
Application: Mainly used for abdominal examination, examination of large animals (such as horses, cattle, pigs), and animal pregnancy examination.
Micro-convex array probe:
Features: This probe has a smaller contact surface than the standard convex array probe, suitable for small spaces and difficult-to-access areas.
Application: Commonly used for abdominal examination and cardiac examination of small animals, and also for obstetric examination of small animals.
Phase array probe:
Features: This probe can provide high frame rate and high-resolution images of deep tissue, and is often used for cardiac examination.
Application: Mainly used for cardiac ultrasound examination of animals.
Rectal probe:
Features: This probe is designed for in vivo examination and provides high-resolution images.
Application: Used for rectal examination of animals, especially during pregnancy.
Backfat probe:
Features: The probe can be equipped with a holder, which is designed to facilitate contact with the animal's back, ensuring the accuracy and convenience of measurement.
Application: Used to measure the backfat thickness and eye muscle area of livestock, calculate lean meat rate, evaluate the health status and meat quality of animals, and help farmers with breeding selection and feeding management.
Features: This probe has parallel crystals that can produce high-resolution images, especially suitable for shallow tissue and small animals.
Application: Mainly used for bone examination, superficial tissue (such as skin, muscle), blood vessels and small animals.
Convex array probe:
Features: This probe has arc-shaped crystals, suitable for deep tissue examination, providing a wide field of view.
Application: Mainly used for abdominal examination, examination of large animals (such as horses, cattle, pigs), and animal pregnancy examination.
Micro-convex array probe:
Features: This probe has a smaller contact surface than the standard convex array probe, suitable for small spaces and difficult-to-access areas.
Application: Commonly used for abdominal examination and cardiac examination of small animals, and also for obstetric examination of small animals.
Phase array probe:
Features: This probe can provide high frame rate and high-resolution images of deep tissue, and is often used for cardiac examination.
Application: Mainly used for cardiac ultrasound examination of animals.
Rectal probe:
Features: This probe is designed for in vivo examination and provides high-resolution images.
Application: Used for rectal examination of animals, especially during pregnancy.
Backfat probe:
Features: The probe can be equipped with a holder, which is designed to facilitate contact with the animal's back, ensuring the accuracy and convenience of measurement.
Application: Used to measure the backfat thickness and eye muscle area of livestock, calculate lean meat rate, evaluate the health status and meat quality of animals, and help farmers with breeding selection and feeding management.
Classification of Ultrasound Examination
Ultrasound display can be divided into the following forms:
A-ultrasound: Displays action potentials on a graph
B-ultrasound: Two-dimensional anatomical images (used to evaluate fetal development during pregnancy, or to evaluate internal organs)
M-ultrasound: Displays moving structures in a continuous waveform (used to evaluate fetal heartbeat or heart valve disease)
B-ultrasound is the most commonly used form.
Doppler Ultrasound Examination
The principle of Doppler Ultrasound Examination is that when an object moves, the frequency of the reflected sound waves changes (Doppler effect). In medical imaging, the moving objects detected are red blood cells in the blood. Therefore, Doppler Ultrasound Examination can be used to evaluate whether blood flows through blood vessels, how fast the blood flows, and in which direction it flows.
Spectral Doppler Ultrasound Examination
Spectral Doppler Ultrasound Examination displays blood flow information in a graphical form. It can be used to evaluate the degree of blood vessel obstruction.
Color Doppler Ultrasound Examination
During color Doppler ultrasound examination, color is superimposed on the gray-shaded image of blood flow generated by Doppler ultrasound. Color indicates the direction of blood flow. Red means blood is flowing toward the probe, and blue means blood is flowing away from the probe. Color brightness indicates blood flow velocity.
A-ultrasound: Displays action potentials on a graph
B-ultrasound: Two-dimensional anatomical images (used to evaluate fetal development during pregnancy, or to evaluate internal organs)
M-ultrasound: Displays moving structures in a continuous waveform (used to evaluate fetal heartbeat or heart valve disease)
B-ultrasound is the most commonly used form.
Doppler Ultrasound Examination
The principle of Doppler Ultrasound Examination is that when an object moves, the frequency of the reflected sound waves changes (Doppler effect). In medical imaging, the moving objects detected are red blood cells in the blood. Therefore, Doppler Ultrasound Examination can be used to evaluate whether blood flows through blood vessels, how fast the blood flows, and in which direction it flows.
Spectral Doppler Ultrasound Examination
Spectral Doppler Ultrasound Examination displays blood flow information in a graphical form. It can be used to evaluate the degree of blood vessel obstruction.
Color Doppler Ultrasound Examination
During color Doppler ultrasound examination, color is superimposed on the gray-shaded image of blood flow generated by Doppler ultrasound. Color indicates the direction of blood flow. Red means blood is flowing toward the probe, and blue means blood is flowing away from the probe. Color brightness indicates blood flow velocity.
