B-mode, Doppler, and Elastography abdominal ultrasound in Tamandua tetradactyla.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the normal B-mode, Doppler, and 2D Shear Wave Elastography ultrasonographic findings of some abdominal structures in a six-month-old male Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla). The animal was found and rescued by the environmental police after being discovered in the wild near its mother, who had died in a car accident. For the ultrasonographic exams, the animal's abdominal region was shaved, and only physical restraint was used. In the B-mode exam, the urinary bladder, small intestine, kidneys, left adrenal gland, stomach, liver, and gallbladder were located and evaluated. Doppler examination obtained spectral tracings of the arcuate and renal arteries of both kidneys. Elastography assessed the stiffness of the renal cortex, liver, and spleen. The ultrasound examination provided an adequate evaluation and novel findings of the Southern Tamandua abdominal structures without invasiveness.