Thoracic ultrasonography technique in newborn calves and description of normal and pathological findings

The aim of this study was to establish whether thoracic ultrasonography is a viable screening method for detecting respiratory disorders in newborn calves. Thoracic ultrasonography was performed on 66 newborn calves. There were 40 normal control animals with healthy lungs and 56 newborn calves suffering from respiratory disorders such as lung atelectasis, aspiration of amniotic fluid, pulmonary edema, pneumonia, and lung abscesses. Ultrasonography of the lung enabled rapid classification of the severity, extent and type of pulmonary lesion found, thus supplementing the clinical examination. Processes deep to the pleura were not amenable to thoracic diagnosis by ultrasonography. This is due to the inability of sound waves to penetrate normally ventilated lung. Despite this problem, ultrasonography of the lung is suitable for assessment of clinically unclear respiratory disorders in calves.