Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration in Woodland Hills, CA | VCA Veterinary Specialists of the Valley

Due to structural damage to our facility as a result of recent severe weather, all VCA Veterinary Specialists of the Valley services are CLOSED until further notice. We are saddened to say that it may be months before we are able to reopen.

Questions regarding recent visits, medications, medical record requests or other non-urgent needs may be left via voicemail at (818) 883-8387 or emailed to [email protected]. We will return messages as soon as possible, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. It may take us 24 to 48 hours to return messages.

This closure is necessary for the safety of our staff and future patients. We will post future updates as we have them.

Local 24-hour emergency and specialty facilities:

VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 473-2951

VCA Animal Specialty Group
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(818) 244-7977

VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 473-1561

ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
(818) 887-2262

TrueCare for Pets
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 760-3882

We understand this situation may be very stressful for our current patient families. We sincerely thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration

Following assessment of an organ and the surrounding structures, ultrasound imaging is used to guide needle placement into a selected tissue or cavity. A sample of tissue or fluid may be drawn through the needle as an aspirate to analyze the cells or other contents of the sample (cytology and microbiology). A larger needle may be used to retrieve a small piece of solid tissue for a core-biopsy to analyze the architecture of the tissue (histopathology). Ultrasound guidance is commonly used to removing fluid from the chest cavity (thoracocentesis) and abdominal cavity (abdominocentesis).