DefinePK

Abstract

Surgical swellings are commonly occurring in sheep and goats causing health problems and economic losses. This study was carried out to describe the findings of deep-seated lesions and assess the role of ultrasonography and post-mortem findings in the verification of these lesions in sheep and goats. Thirty-four animals (sheep, n=18; goats, n=16) were used in this investigation based on the presence of deep lesions in the abdomen and pelvis. Clinical and ultrasonographic examination of deep swellings resulted in a diagnosis of abscesses (n=22; 64.70%), hydatid cysts (n=7; 20.60%), and Hematomas (n=5; 14.70%). Each lesion type could be properly differentiated by ultrasonography; the echogenicity differed based on sort, site, and inclusions as well as the duration of the structures. Abscesses were recognized as a structure containing homogenously distributed contents enclosed in a thickened echogenic surrounding in the acute stage, while long-lasting lesions were imaged as echogenic lesions and were demarcated with an echogenic wall. Hydatid cysts are diagnosed as lesions with anechoic contents including echogenic solid septa. Hematomas occurred mostly in the abdomen. It varied when imaged based on the history of the disease, and the term of the affection. Hematomas appeared as heterogeneous masses due to the infiltration of blood within the tissues. Conclusively, ultrasonography is a rapid, precise, distinctive, non-invasive diagnostic modality that proves accurate diagnosis and successive surgical decisions used for the management of variant deep-seated lesions in sheep and goats.