Lynks Group Veterinary Imaging

Adds computed tomography (CT) services

Lynks Group Veterinary Imaging is pleased to announce the recent arrangement with a local medical facility allowing limited after-hours access to a computed tomography (CT) scanner. CT has numerous advantages over other diagnostic imaging modalities. The cross-sectional imaging format is particularly helpful for imaging body regions with complex anatomy such as the skull or regions difficult to image with ultrasonography, e.g., mediastinum. CT generally excels in imaging bone lesions. However the increased soft tissue contrast of CT versus radiography allows improved anatomic delineation of soft tissue structures particularly when IV contrast is used. But CT is not considered a global imaging tool, e.g., imaging the entire spine, and the study is typically tailored to a specific area based on clinical signs, physical examination results, and radiographic and/or ultrasonographic results. If you believe a CT scan would benefit one your patients, please feel free to call us (802.985.5315) with any questions concerning applicability of CT for a particular problem and scheduling the study.

We currently have weekly access to the CT scanner; typically the studies are performed late Wednesday afternoons. Clients are instructed to drop off and pick-up their pets at BEVS and we transport the patient to and from the facility. Dr. Caroline Horn, a veterinarian and medical anesthetist, accompanies us to the facility to provide anesthesia and patient monitoring. Because the CT scanner is a multi-slice helical unit, scan times are relatively short allowing Dr. Horn to use short-acting injectable anesthetics. Typically two CT series are performed – prior to and then following IV injection of non-ionic contrast material. One of the CT technicians from the medical facility operates the CT unit. The patient is positioned according to the body part being imaged and we recommend the acquisition parameters (slice width, slice interval, scan time, mAs, kVp). Preliminary results are discussed with the client following the study and a final CT interpretation report is generated once we have reviewed the CT study. At this time, requests for CT scans on short notice, e.g., emergency cases, are more difficult to schedule because of access and personnel coordinating issues but we always try to arrange the scan as soon as possible.

As discussed earlier, the key advantages of CT are the cross-sectional imaging and improved soft tissue contrast. Common indications for a CT examination include:

1. Sinonasal: nasal and paranasal sinus disease, bone or soft tissue masses of the skull, oral masses.
2. Skull: potential intra-axial and extra-axial brain lesions, skull trauma, temporal region and submandibular masses, retro-orbital masses, chronic ear disease.
3. Thorax: mediastinal abnormalities/masses, pulmonary masses, pre-thoracotomy surgical planning, thoracic wall masses, metastatic pulmonary disease.
4. Musculoskeltal: elbow dysplasia and particularly medial coronoid process fragmentation.
5. CT Myelography: although these studies are typically performed in lieu of myelography, rapid access to the CT in paretic or paralyzed patients is difficult for us to schedule.