title: Ultrasonographic imaging of the vagosympathetic trunk in the dog.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of ultrasonographic imaging of the vagosympathetic trunk in the dog. Cervical ultrasound was performed in 30 healthy dogs. In all 30 dogs the vagosympathetic trunk was detected as a hypoechoic structure in the carotid sheath, adhering the dorsomedial surface of the common carotid artery. The echotexture of the nerve was heterogeneous with anechoic areas separated by hypoechoic bands. A scanner equipped with a 5 to 8 MHz linear array probe was used for imaging and measurements. The diameter of the vagosympathetic trunk ranged from 0.59 to 2.48 mm varying in correlation to the body weight. In summary, ultrasonography is a helpful noninvasive method to image and evaluate the cervical vagosympathetic trunk in the dog.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reese
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruppert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004285:Dogs / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000662:veterinary; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*