A simple diagnostic tool can help equine emergency care professionals quickly diagnose colics, leading to improved pain management and more immediate surgery when indicated, according to a Belgian study.

Fast Localized Abdominal Sonography (called "FLASH" in horses), already in use in human healthcare, benefits from the pinpointing of specific target areas to be investigated for abnormalities, according to Valeria Busoni, PhD, Dipl. ECVDI, imaging clinician in the department of clinical sciences of companion animals and equids in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liége, and primary author of the recently published study. In equine colic, these target areas include seven specific abdominal sites, tested in Busoni's research, where the practitioner can check for free fluid and/or dilated, turgid loops of the small intestine.

It took less than 11 minutes, on average, to complete FLASH exams on equine colic patients in the study. The practitioners performing the exams had received only an hour of training in the technique, the researchers reported.