Doppler Ultrasonography of Abdominal Vasculature in Canines

Present study was conducted with the objective of describing the sonographic appearance of major abdominal vessels in canines. The study was conducted on ten healthy animals. Abdominal aorta and caudal vena cava were located caudal to the kidneys. Aorta was located on midline and to the left of the more ventrally located caudal vena cava. Pulsating movements of aorta helped its differentiation from caudal vena cava. Iliac arteries and veins were the major branches of abdominal aorta and caudal vena cava respectively, visualized in caudal abdomen. In animals with relaxed abdomen celiac, cranial mesenteric, splenic and hepatic arteries were observed in cranial abdomen. Main portal vein was visualized in an oblique sagital plane. Portal vein was lying ventral to the caudal vena cava and aorta was dorsal to the caudal vena cava and portal vein. On color doppler study, aorta had the blood flow towards the transducer and caudal vena cava away from the transducer. Pulse wave doppler study revealed that aorta had a typical pulsatile arterial waveform. Flow in caudal vena cava was laminar and undisturbed. Periodicity in the flow of caudal vena cava was marked in cranial part and mild in caudal part. Mean velocity of Abdominal Aorta and Caudal Vena Cava in caudal abdomen was found to be 0.84m/sec and 0.78m/sec respectively.