The variety of diagnostic imaging modalities that have become available to veterinarians has led to the need for expanded expertise in ultrasound, computed tomography, nuclear scintigraphy, and magnetic resonance imaging. However, conventional radiography and ultrasonography remain essential, cost-effective, and readily available methods for diagnosing many gastrointestinal disorders in dogs and cats. In the past 10 years, ultrasonography has become an invaluable diagnostic tool, which has virtuallyreplaced the need for barium contrast studies in animals presenting for vomiting and/or diarrhea. Historically, the combination of plain and contrast radiography was considered the gold standard for examination of the gastrointestinal tract. Currently, however, the combination of sonography and endoscopy has become a more frequently used approach.
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