Student Case Presentation
Diagnostic Accuracy of Abbreviated Lung Ultrasounds in Pre-weaned Dairy Heifers
| Date/Time: |
8/27/2026 Poster 01
|
| Presenter: |
Rainer Borgmann |
| Veterinary School: |
PUR |
Abstract:
Diagnostic Accuracy of Abbreviated Lung Ultrasounds in Pre-weaned Dairy Heifers.
Lung ultrasonography has become a popular method for detecting subclinical pneumonia in pre-weaned dairy heifers. A complete scan includes imaging of seven lung lobes to detect lesions; however, a substantial portion of lesions occur in the cranial portion of the right cranial lobe. This suggests that scans that do not include all seven lobes, but do include the cranial portion of the right cranial lobe, may provide acceptable diagnostic accuracy while improving scanning efficiency. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of abbreviated scans with a complete scan of 7 lobes (the reference standard for this evaluation). The three abbreviated methods were scanning only the cranial portion of the right cranial lobe, scanning only the right lung lobes, and scanning the cranial most lobe on both sides. A cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study was conducted in 1090 pre-weaned Holstein dairy heifers at two commercial calf-raising facilities in Indiana. For each calf, all seven lung lobes were scanned and scored by one researcher, while another researcher independently observed the same scan in real time. Scoring disagreements were resolved with a second scan. The locations of lung lesions and scores were recorded. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the three different abbreviated scanning methods using a score ≥ 3 (1 or more consolidated lobes) to define subclinical bronchopneumonia. Sensitivity and specificity of all abbreviated methods were > 94%. When only the cranial portion of the right cranial lobe was scanned and compared to a full seven-lobed scan, the sensitivity was 94.4%, and the specificity was 100%. These findings suggest that when the primary goal of lung scanning is to determine bronchopneumonia (score ≥ 3), an abbreviated lung ultrasound procedure may have acceptable diagnostic accuracy and offer improvements to scanning efficiency.
