Thoracic Radiographs Flashcards
(31 cards)
what can radiographs tell you?
cardiomegaly
vessel size
pulmonary infiltrates
pleural space disease
thoracic wall structures
static image of trachea
which lateral view is more important for cardiac cases?
right
how can you tell if the heart is big?
eyeball it
number of interspaces
proportion of chest width on DV view
vertebral heart size
what should be the width of a dog heart on the lateral view in intercostal spaces?
2.5 for deep chest
3.5 for barrel chest
what should be the width of a cat heart on the lateral view in intercostal spaces?
2 to 2.5
what should the vertebral heart size be in a dog?
<10.5 v
range 8.7-10.7 v
what is the average vertebral heart size for cats?
7.5 v
when does the left atrium get large in dogs?
with mitral regurgitation
where do you measure for a vertebral left atrial size?
bottom of carina to the top aspect of the caudal cava
what is normal vertebral left atrial size?
1.8 to 2.3 v
what do small arteries and veins mean?
hypovolemia
congenital left to right shunt
what can large pulmonary arteries mean?
pulmonary hypertension
heartworm
pulmonary embolism
what does a caudal vena cava/aorta ratio of >1.5 suggest?
right-sided heart disease
what are the structures of pulmonary interest?
pulmonary parenchyma
trachea
ribs
diaphragm
lymph nodes
what can cause an interstitial pattern?
aging change in dogs
earliest sign of CHF
fluid overload
interstitial lung disease
pulmonary contusion
metastatic disease
what can cause a bronchial pattern?
feline asthma
feline heartworm or feline HARDS
lung parasites
canine chronic bronchitis
eosinophilic lung disease
early bronchopneumonia
large breed dogs with CHF
what can cause an alveolar pattern?
pneumonia
pulmonary contusion
non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema
cardiogenic pulmonary edema
severe inflammatory lung disease
what can cause a vascular pattern?
left to right shunting congenital defects
chronic CHF in cats
fluid overload
what can happen with the trachea?
position: kinking or kinking/deviation due to mass
tracheal collapse
mainstem collapse from left atrial enlargement
how can you recognize pleural effusion?
obscures cardiac silhouette
pleural fissure lines become visible
hard to see edges of the heart
lung structures collapsed: hard to evaluate lung patterns
how can you recognize pericardial effusion?
generalized cardiomegaly, globoid
sharp edges to cardiac silhouette
enlarged caudal vena cava
variable vessel findings
some pleural effusion common
search for pulmonary metastatic disease
what percentage of the chest on the DV view should be heart?
60%
what is vertebral left atrial size meant to capture?
better capture left atrial enlargement than standard vertebral heart size
what is vertebral left atrial size a criteria for?
when drugs started in dogs with mitral regurgitation
