{"id":674,"date":"2026-02-15T23:24:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T23:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/talklameness.org\/resources\/imaging-explained-what-is-ultrasound\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T09:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T09:23:19","slug":"imaging-explained-what-is-ultrasound","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/talklameness.org\/us\/resources\/imaging-explained-what-is-ultrasound\/","title":{"rendered":"Imaging explained: what is ultrasound?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-850404558c10c9e67740cb2e4f409486 wp-block-paragraph\">Imaging Explained explores the different modalities available to help with lameness diagnosis, and what you can expect from each. Here we take a deep dive into ultrasound. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is ultrasound?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-midnight-blue-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-26f1b8d9cd33e67da8ea2020fbad5626 wp-block-paragraph\"><a>Ultrasonography \u2013 or ultrasound \u2013 is the complementary tool, widely used to assess soft tissue structures such as tendons and ligaments. Like radiography (X-ray), it is portable and generally affordable. However, sound waves cannot easily pass through bone or air, limiting its view to structures adjacent to the bone surface.<\/a> Ultrasound also allows dynamic assessment of soft tissues when needed.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When might we use ultrasound?<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assessment of areas of swelling to determine underlying soft tissue involvement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Investigation of soft tissue injury (tendons, ligaments)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Evaluation of synovial structures (tendon sheaths, bursae, joints) for effusion or pathology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guidance for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures (e.g., injections)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitoring healing during rehabilitation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What it shows well<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fiber pattern, size and echogenicity (tissue brightness) of tendons and ligaments e.g., assessing a core lesion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Edema and swelling of the subcutaneous tissues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bone surface irregularities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Foreign bodies in soft tissues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Synovial structures: joints, tendon sheaths, and bursa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What it doesn&#8217;t show well <\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deep structures hidden by bone or air<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Internal hoof soft tissues due to the difficulty of imaging through the hoof itself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to expect from ultrasound<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your vet will clean and\/or clip the area in question and apply gel to get the best image possible (air between hair prevents ultrasound from working). Most horses are scanned while standing and mild sedation is used, if needed, for accuracy and safety. Serial scans to monitor progress can help track healing.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where it fits into the bigger picture<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If ultrasound and X-rays don\u2019t answer the question (or if the issue is inside the hoof capsule or complex joint), your vet may suggest moving on to CT for intricate bone architecture or MRI which excels at imaging soft tissue. To learn more about how ultrasound compares to MRI, check out this article written by Ellen Law. Ellen works as a radiologist at the Diagnostic Imaging Unit of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, University Animal Hospital.  <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-63375db1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-mint-green-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/hallmarq.net\/2025\/07\/01\/ultrasound-vs-mri-for-proximal-suspensory-ligament-psl-injuries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Ultrasound or MRI?<\/strong> <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ultrasonography \u2013 or ultrasound \u2013 is the complementary tool, widely used to assess soft tissue structures such as tendons and ligaments. Like radiography (X-ray), it is portable and generally affordable. However, sound waves cannot easily pass through bone or air, limiting its view to structures adjacent to the bone surface. Ultrasound also allows dynamic assessment of soft tissues when needed.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-674","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Imaging explained: what is ultrasound? - Hallmarq Talk Lameness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ultrasound is widely used to assess soft tissue structures such as tendons and ligaments but is limited to structures adjacent to the bone.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/talklameness.org\/us\/resources\/imaging-explained-what-is-ultrasound\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Imaging explained: what is ultrasound? 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