Computed Tomography (CT)
Description of Service and Procedures
The computed tomography service currently provides CT examinations of skull, spine, thoracic, abdominal and musculoskeletal systems, CT guided biopsy and CT angiography.
A 16-slice helical CT unit was installed in 2009 and is housed in the Rosenthal Imaging and Treatment Center (RITC). This CT scanner allows for rapid acquisition of cross-sectional images. This significantly decreases the time to complete a scan and therefore duration of anesthesia and also provides images with superb resolution. In conjunction with the latest computer software multi-slice CT permits evaluation of blood flow within the body and dynamic assessment tumor perfusion.
Procedure
Veterinary patients must be anesthetized for CT, since they must remain absolutely still during the treatment. The duration of anesthesia is generally short (30 minutes to one hour), and the patient is monitored using sophisticated equipment including electrocardiogram, blood pressure and respiratory indices. Modern anesthesia drugs allow for quick onset of and recovery from anesthesia. Anesthesia is administered by highly trained veterinary nurse-anesthetists who select the drugs and administration protocol according to each patient’s individual requirements. Most cases require injection of iodinated contrast agents.
Requirements
CT imaging services are provided for Ryan Veterinary Hospital patients only.
Appointment / Referral information
CT imaging services provided for Ryan Veterinary Hospital patients only. Pet owners must be referred through Ryan primary care services (e.g., surgery, medicine, neurology).
For more information, contact Cheryl Diehl at 215.746.8674