Large Animal Clinical Services

Large Animal Clinical Programs

Large Animal Radiology and Imaging Service

Working with advanced imaging equipment and a highly skilled and experienced staff, the faculty of the Large Animal Imaging Service are able to provide state of the art integrated imaging services that directly benefit patients, clients, referring veterinarians, and VMTH clinicians. These services complement those provided through the Large Animal Ultrasound Service.

Ultrasound
Experienced specialists in the Large Animal Ultrasound service use state-of-the-art equipment to offer a complete range of ultrasound imaging services, including evaluation of musculoskeletal, abdominal, thoracic, soft tissue, and ocular structures. In addition, this service performs echocardiography and ultrasound-guided aspiration or biopsy and also provides shock wave therapy for patients with bone, tendon, or ligament injuries that could benefit from this modality. In addition to appointments for patients referred by other VMTH services, ultrasound consultation appointments are made available to referring veterinarians by contacting the LA ultrasound faculty directly.

Large Animal Radiography
The VMTH is equipped with two stationary 1000 ma X-ray units capable of producing diagnostic studies of the abdomen, thorax, pelvis, neck, stifle, and shoulder, in addition to the lower limbs. Contrast studies, including myelograms, fistulograms, and barium swallows are also performed routinely. In addition, portable X-ray units are utilized to perform studies on patients that cannot be examined using the stationary units. Images are captured by a CR digital radiography system that not only allows them to be stored and transmitted in digital format, but also allows post-processing enhancement to maximize their diagnostic utility.

CT (Computed Tomography)
The VMTH is equipped with a General Electric Helical Computed Tomography unit. A customized large animal table capable of supporting animals weighing up to 1,700 pounds allows us to perform high detail studies of the extremities, head, and upper portion of the neck. Our faculty has recently pioneered the use of contrast agents to produce contrast CT images of the head and limbs, allowing visualization of abnormalities not previously detectable by other imaging techniques.

MRI
The Large Animal Imaging Service has recently established an equine MRI service for imaging the lower limbs of horses. This system is featured on page 9.

Nuclear Scintigraphy
Nuclear scintigraphy is a useful screening technique for localizing occult lesions such as stress fractures or degenerative joint disease in regions of the axial and appendicular skeleton that are not readily visualized using other imaging techniques. Examples include the vertebrae, intervertebral articulations, sacroiliac joint, pelvis, hip joint, femur, scapula, shoulder joint, and humerus, and lesions in proximal sesamoids or the small bones of the hock or carpus. Areas of soft tissue inflammation may also be identified. Because detection of a “hot spot” by the gamma camera relies on increased uptake of intravenously administered radioactive technitium by bone that has a higher than normal turnover rate, acute stress fractures may not be demonstrable in scans performed within the first 10 to 14 days after injury.


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