Whether you are giving out instructions to an owner preparing their pet for an upcoming ultrasound, getting an in-hospital patient ready for an ultrasound, or if you will be performing the scan yourself, it is good to know what medications may affect your ultrasound images.  Knowing when and what meds were given to the patient recently is key.

• A common image is simply the presence of a pill in the stomach, is it a pill or something else?

• The drug Carafate can give the illusion of a foreign body and it is advised to not give this medication 24 hours before an
  
  Whether you are giving out instructions to an owner preparing their pet for an upcoming ultrasound, getting an in-hospital patient ready for an ultrasound, or if you will be performing the scan yourself, it is good to know what medications may affect your ultrasound images.  Knowing when and what meds were given to the patient recently is key.
  • A common image is simply the presence of a pill in the stomach, is it a pill or something else?
  • The drug Carafate can give the illusion of a foreign body and it is advised to not give this medication 24 hours before an abdominal ultrasound.
  • A patient on steroids can have an enlarged liver due to steroid induced hepatopathy.
  • Injectable Acepromazine and Domitor, typically used in “cocktails” for short-term sedation for ultrasound patients can increase the size of vessels.

  What other medications can effect an ultrasound examination?