B8411 - Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, the student gains the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to understand the diagnostic imaging features of normal digestive system anatomical structures. In particular, the student: knows the normal aspects of clinical relevance relating to the digestive tract; knows how to perform a radiographic study of the abdomen; knows the radiographic features of the different gastrointestinal segments before after the administration of contrast medium in a healthy subject; knows the ultrasonographic features of the different gastrointestinal segments in a healthy subject; is able to recognise the different gastrointestinal segments before after the administration of contrast medium on an abdominal x-ray in a healthy subject; is able to recognise the different gastrointestinal segments on ultrasound examination in a healthy subject; is able to recognise normal aspects of clinical relevance relating to the digestive tract.

Course contents

This Course is part of the Integrated Course "Nutrients, Digestion, and Metabolism".

The integrated course "Nutrients, digestion, and metabolism" aims to provide the student with adequate knowledge of the anatomical organization, function, and biochemical mechanisms underlying the metabolism of the digestive system, essential for recognizing normal clinical aspects in veterinary species. Additionally, the student is familiar with the basic principles of nutrition and feeding in veterinary species.

The Integrated Course "Nutrients, Digestion, and Metabolism" contributes to the achievement of the following ESEVT Day One Competences: 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.17, 1.21, 1.22, 1.24.

Specific Course contents:

Prerequisites: the student should have knowledge of normal digestive system anatomy.

The content of the course includes:

· Radiographic anatomy of the digestive system: esophagus, stomach, intestine;

· Contrast radiographic studies of the normal digestive system;

· Ultrasonographic anatomy of the digestive system;

· Main principles of semiology of the digestive tract.

Readings/Bibliography

The teaching materials include the recommended textbooks (see below), along with lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations available on the course website.

· O'Brien, R., & Barr, F. (2009). BSAVA manual of canine and feline abdominal imaging (pp. viii+-252).

· D.E. Thrall, Robertson ID. Atlas of Normal Radiographic Anatomy and Anatomic Variants in the Dog and Cat, 3th Edition, Elsevier , 2023.

· Coulson A., Lewis N. An atlas of interpretative radiographic anatomy of the dog and cat – 2nd Edition, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 2008;

· Penninck D e d'Anjou MA, Atlas of small animal ultrasonography - 2nd Edition, Blackwell Science, Ames Iowa USA 2015

• Lecture slides

The course has a clinical practical orientation. For this reason, much information can be obtained by the slides, the video and photographic material available on the "Portale Didattico Veterinario" of Bologna

Teaching methods

The course combines frontal lectures and practical small-group sessions.

Lectures cover:

· radiographic and ultrasonographic anatomy of the digestive tract;

· contrast radiographic protocols and interpretation;

· clinical relevance of imaging findings in healthy animals;

· integration of normal physical examination findings with imaging.

Practical sessions:

Students work in small groups at PC workstations to analyze radiographic and ultrasonographic images of the digestive system, with and without contrast medium.

These sessions aim to develop competence in identifying anatomical structures and understanding their normal imaging appearance, and to relate these to clinical scenarios.

Assessment methods

The final examination of the (I.C) Integrated Course "Nutrients, Digestion, and Metabolism" consists of three parts:

a) Multiple choice test

b) Open-ended questions

c) Practical activity

The exam is considered passed only if all parts are successfully completed.

Ø MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST

The first part consists of a written test comprising 60 multiple choice questions covering all components of the I.C., specifically:

o 18 questions for Physiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8417&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

o 12 questions for Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8423&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True], Animal Feed and Nutrition [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8395&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True] and Biochemistry of the Digestive Tract and Nutrient Metabolism

o 6 questions for Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8411&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

The test is designed to assess student's comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the course content.

Each correct answer is awarded 0.5 points; no penalty is applied for incorrect or unanswered questions.

The duration of the test is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

To pass the test students need to obtain:

· A minimum overall grade of 18/30

· A minimum score for each course component:

o 5 points for Physiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8417&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

o 3.5 points Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8423&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True], Animal Feed and Nutrition [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8395&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True] and Biochemistry of the Digestive Tract and Nutrient Metabolism

o 2 points for Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8411&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

The fulfilment of these conditions is required to be admitted to the following parts of the exam.

The test will be administered through the EOL platform (http://eol.unibo.it ).

Ø OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS

The second part consists of 3 short open-ended questions for each of the following courses:

§ Physiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8417&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

§ Biochemistry of the Digestive Tract and Nutrient Metabolism

The duration of the test is 1 hour

Ø PRACTICAL EXAMINATION

The third part consist of a practical and oral examination aimed at assessing the acquisition of practical skills and verbal competencies acquired during the practical activities of the following courses:

§ Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8423&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

§ Animal Feed and Nutrition [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8395&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True] ;

§ Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8411&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

This part will be limited to 10 minutes for each course and could include, but not limited to, the description and interpretation of images or videos depicting specific anatomical structure and their normal imaging representation, recognition and nutritional role of feeds and interpretation of feed labels.

To pass the open-ended questions and the practical examination, students must demonstrate adequate competence in each component of the I.C., corresponding to:

§ 5.40 out of 9 forPhysiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8417&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

§ 3.60 points out of 6 for Systematic Veterinary Anatomy of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8423&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True] and Animal Feed and Nutrition [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8395&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True]

§ 1.8 out of 3 for Imaging and Basic Principles of Semiology of the Digestive Tract [https://www.unibo.it/en/study/phd-professional-masters-specialisation-schools-and-other-programmes/course-unit-catalogue?codiceMateria=B8411&annoAccademico=2025&codiceCorso=6197&single=True&search=True] .

These grades will be communicated at the end of the practical session.

The final grade of the exam is calculated as the average of the points obtained in the multiple-choice test and the sum of the open-ended questions and the practical examination.

A minimum final grade of 18/30 is required.

The final grade will be published on the AlmaEsami platform (https://almaesami.unibo.it/?lang=en ) within 5 working days of the date of the exam.

Students may reject the final grade one time by informing the course examiner via email within 3 working days. The designated course contact for this course is prof. Ludovica Mammi.

Negative results are not graded numerically but recorded as “withdrawn” or “failed” in the electronic transcript on AlmaEsami, and do not affect the student’s academic record.

Students can register for exams through the AlmaEsami platform (http://almaesami.unibo.it/ ). Exams are scheduled during the designated periods in the academic calendar.

The use of supporting material or devices (including calculators, books, notebooks, class notes, etc.) is not permitted during the exam. If needed, a follow-up discussion will allow the Candidate to comment on incorrect answers.

With regard to the learning assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use of AI constitutes a breach of academic integrity.

In compliance with Law 104/1992 and Law 170/2010, and in alignment with institutional inclusion policies, students with certified disabilities or specific learning disorders—as well as those with recognized special educational needs—will receive appropriate accommodations during assessments. Such students should promptly contact the course instructor and inform the University’s Disability and SLD Support Service [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en] . A faculty member is appointed to oversee this service within the Department [https://scienzemedicheveterinarie.unibo.it/it/dipartimento/organizzazione/referenti-istituzionali].

Teaching tools

The Course utilizes high-resolution images and video tutorials of physical examination procedures and diagnostic imaging findings of Digestive Tract. Academic lessons use Powerpoint presentations. The material, showed during the academic lessons, is available on Portale Didattico Veterinario (http://www.portaledidatticovet.org/metodologia-clinica.html ) and on the Virtuale platform (reached through the link on the teacher webpage). To further support anatomical recognition and imaging interpretation, students are encouraged to consult IMAIOS Vet-Anatomy online platform, an interactive anatomical atlas that supports the identification of cross-sectional and radiographic anatomy in veterinary species (https://www.imaios.com/en/vet-anatomy ).

Office hours

See the website of Simone Perfetti