TWO-DIMENSIONAL REAL-TIME OCULAR ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE DOG

Two-dimensional real-time ultrasonography was performed with three different methods to determine the optimal technique for scanning canine orbital soft tissues. The three techniques included positioning the transducer on the clipped closed eyelid (eyelid contact method), directly on the cornea (corneal contact method), or on a small waterfilled balloon in direct contact with the cornea (water bath offset method). Horizontal and vertical images from the three techniques were compared and graded for diagnostic quality. The corneal contact method provided superior anatomic definition of the posterior globe and extraorbital tissues, whereas the water bath method gave higher-quality images of the anterior chamber and lens. Use of the eyelid contact method to image the eye and periorbital structures was not recommended because of multiple artifacts that severely degrade the image.