One tip for vomiting veterinary patients

When we asked Fetch dvm360 conference speaker Maria Evola, DVM, MPH, DACVR, for a tip on the acute abdomen and the vomiting patient, she was quick with an answer: a left lateral projection.

"It places gas in the pylorus, the pyloric antrum and sometimes the proximal duodenum," she says.

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This is advantageous, Dr. Evola says, because the gas acts as a naturally occurring contrast medium and highlights any possible foreign materials. This is one way to ensure that the stomach looks normal prior to taking additional action.

So, the next time you're faced with a vomiting patient and you have your right lateral projection and orthogonal projections, go ahead and get that left lateral view, she says. This may save your doing other advanced imaging.

Watch the video for more.

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