I’ll be doing an echo tomorrow on a dog with ascites. Previous abdominal scan showed dilated hepatic veins and a passive congestion pattern in the liver, and indicated the ascites is likely owing to passive congestion. I need to make sure I get diagnostic images of the caudal mediastinum, looking for obstruction of the vena cava. Will my normal SDEP echo views provide the needed imaging – and if not, how do I get these images?

I’ll be doing an echo tomorrow on a dog with ascites. Previous abdominal scan showed dilated hepatic veins and a passive congestion pattern in the liver, and indicated the ascites is likely owing to passive congestion. I need to make sure I get diagnostic images of the caudal mediastinum, looking for obstruction of the vena cava. Will my normal SDEP echo views provide the needed imaging – and if not, how do I get these images?