J Vet Sci.  2001 Apr;2(1):71-74.

Application of pulsed Doppler ultrasound for the evaluation of small intestinal motility in dogs

• An YJ
• Lee H
• Chang D
• Lee Y
• Sung JK
• Choi M
• Yoon J

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to verify whether small intestinal peristalsis could be observed and quantitatively assessed using pulsed-Doppler ultrasound. Pulsed-Doppler ultrasound was used to evaluate small intestinal peristalsis after a meal in ten normal dogs and ten sedated dogs. The small intestinal peristalses were measured 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 hours after a 24-hour fast and after feeding. The number of small intestinal peristalsis were 0.133/min, 0.100/min, 0.033/min, 0.167/min, 0.070/min, 0.067/min, and 0.100/min in the fasted dogs, and 1.667/ min, 0.933/min, 1.133/min, 1.234/min, 1.933/min, 1.533/ min, and 0.533/min in fed dogs, respectively. In the dogs sedated with xylazine HCl, the number of small intestinal peristalsis was significantly reduced (p<0.01). However, in the dogs treated with ketamine HCl and acepromazine, the number of small intestinal peristalsis remained unchanged. Therefore, it can be concluded that pulsed-Doppler ultrasound allows graphic visualization of the intestinal movements, which can be subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis, and may be suitable for a non-invasive study of small intestinal motility.

Keyword

dog; pulsed-Doppler ultrasound; small intestinal peristalsis; feeding; sedation

MeSH Terms

Acepromazine/pharmacology
Animals
Dogs
Dopamine Antagonists/pharmacology
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology
*Gastrointestinal Motility/drug effects
Intestine, Small/drug effects/*physiology/ultrasonography
Ketamine/pharmacology
Peristalsis/drug effects/*physiology
Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed/methods/*veterinary