Small Animal Radiology and Ultrasound: A Diagnostic Atlas and Text

252 Small Animal Radiolo g y and Ultrasono graphy
Fig. 3-3 The same dog as in Figure
3-1. The left lateral view of the
abdomen demonstrated normal
anatomy and gas in the pyloric
region of the stomach. Diagnosis:
Normal abdomen.
Fig. 3-4 The same dog as in Fig. 3-1. The dorsoventral view revealed
a loss of diagnostic quality compared with the ventrodorsal view due
to crowding of the viscera. Diagnosis: Normal abdomen.
Other views of the abdomen are occasionally useful. When a specific organ of interest
(e.g., uterus, urinary bladder, or liver) has restricted mobility relative to other abdominal
structures (e.g., intestine, spleen, stomach), the more mobile organs may be displaced away
from the organ of interest by using focal abdominal compression. 2,3 This is done by
compressing the abdomen directly over the organ of interest with a relatively radiolucent
device, such as a wooden salad spoon. The exposure technique should be reduced to