So next, we will be looking at the next component of the ultrasound machine setup, and
that is the probe.
We have already looked
at the console and now we will be looking at the probe which is the actual information gathering
device of the setup.
The probe is what actually goes inside the cow .
and releases ultrasound waves, which will then interact with the tissues within the cow and then
send back a signal
to be recorded by the console,
which will ultimately give us an image.
On the ultrasound probe, this is a rectal probe, which is a linear probe and what that means is
you have ultrasound crystals which are located
along the
face of the probe here.
Electricity runs down this cable
and causes these ultrasound crystals to vibrate. When they vibrate they release an ultrasound wave,
which then travels down into the tissues,
bounces off of structures and is returned back
to the probe.
That signal is received by the console
and translated into an image.
The orientation of these crystals
means that when the electricity
hits them and
they vibrate,
the ultrasound
wave comes down in a line like this.
Therefore, you need to understand how to hold the probe to get the best
possible image of whatever it is you want to look at within the cow.
A few features that you need to recognise are where the tip is and how
that relates to what you're
actually seeing on the screen. On this particular machine, this probe,
the tip is located
to the left side of the screen.
So I know as I
move forward
within the cow or backwards I will
know how that relates to the image I am seeing.
If I move the probe towards the left...
...or forwards within the cow
the ultrasound image
will be coming from the left.
So anything that is on the left side
of the screen will be translating to this part of the probe.
Something that you need to remember is that these crystals
are a bit sensitive and delicate
and we need to take care of them,
so whenever you're holding
the probe and it's not inside the cow it's a good idea to
cover the face of the probe with your hand to ensure that
if you get knocked against a gate that it won't be damaging the crystals.
When you're looking to go inside the cow the
way that you hold the ultrasound probe will
enable you to get better or worse pictures.
So a couple of tips to remember, if you hold the
probe cupped within the palm of your hand and keep one finger near
to the very tip,
so the very end on the probe, which will
correlate to the left hand side of the screen.
You can
then grasp the remainder
of the probe in your
hand and with your
two fingers that are free
on either side, potentially your pinky as well, you can then feel
the structures
that are around the probe,
such as the uterus.
There are four basic movements that we can do with the probe.
The first is we can move forward or back, forward or back and that will enable us to go cranial
towards the head
of the cow or
further back towards the cervix.
We also need to ensure that we have good
contact at
all times because this will help us to get a clear picture.
So we need to
be able to actually push down on the rectal floor,
so pressure is very important as well.
We don't need to use
excessive pressure, but just enough to ensure we have good contact of the probe surface at all times.
The next is actually
rotating the probe head to be in line with whatever structure we want to look at.
The ultrasound wave comes out of the probe in this direction.
So if we're looking at a structure that is in this orientation we'll just need to
change the orientation
of the probe so that it matches the structure we're looking at.
So what that would look like inside the cow, is gently moving from side to side.
The final movement that we can make is rocking or tilting the probe.
This, again, will help to get an improved level of contact with the rectal floor to improve
the quality of
our image and it will also enable us to get a different view of structures within the cow.
So for example, on the ovary, what we may be
able to do is tilt or rock side to side, so that we can look at all of the structures within the ovary
including the corpus luteum, follicles if they
are present and any potential pathology.
So in summary, the ultrasound machine setup
will include the console , the viewing device and the probe.
The controls that we can change on the console to improve the quality of the image depending on
whether we are
looking at structures that are
superficial or deep within the cow,
include frequency, depth and gain.
We can also alter the way the we manipulate the probe when it's inside the cow and the four
movements that we
can make are either moving forward or back, forward or back, adding pressure to improve contact.
We can rotate from side to side or we can rock or tilt the surface of the probe.