Diagnostics

College Station, Texas- 3/31/08 - The Texas A&M University Board of Regents has approved the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences to begin construction on a veterinary imaging and cancer treatment center.

Thoracic radiographs for metastatic disease are part of every day practice. A diagnosis of pulmonary nodules has an important effect on treatment decisions, and some radiographs are difficult to interpret.

In this prospective study from a referral practice, the limbs of 10 healthy dogs were evaluated by using a thermographic imaging protocol to determine normal cutaneous thermographic patterns (a color map that indicates the skin temperature distribution) and evaluate the effect of hair clipping.

In this retrospective study of 100 cases from a veterinary college, preoperative abdominal ultrasonography and exploratory laparotomy findings were reviewed to determine agreement and discrepancy rates and identify lesions likely to be missed by ultrasonography.

Thrombosis is a complication of many diseases in veterinary medicine.

One of the subtleties of interpreting abdominal radiographs is peritoneal detail.

2008 Editorial Calendars

List of Ownership Issues stories in January through December of Veterinary Economics.

Dr. Niemiec illustrates how to obtain dental radiographs using the correct bisecting angle.

Dr. Niemiec demonstrates the right positioning for obtaining dental radiographs of the maxillary canines.

Dr. Niemiec demonstrates how to avoid errors of vertical angulation when taking dental radiographs.

Interpreting dental radiographs is quite similar to interpreting standard radiographs except dental pathologies and radiographic changes may be subtle and some pathologies are unique to the oral cavity. Also, several normal anatomical structures may mimic pathologic changes.

The most important thing you can do to increase the quality of dental care in your practice is to use dental radiography when evaluating patients presented for routine dental care or dental problems.

Cystotomy is commonly performed in small-animal practice to remove cystic calculi that cannot be treated medically or with other nonsurgical extraction techniques (urohydropropulsion, catheter or basket removal). Unfortunately, if numerous smaller calculi are present in the bladder and urethra, particularly in male dogs, the risk of leaving calculi after cystotomy can be as high as 15% to 20%.

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Linear foreign bodies are a well-recognized problem in small-animal practice.

When taking radiographs, I jot down the technique settings used on the X-ray envelope.

Serologic testing for pregnancy in bitches is complicated because of female dogs' normal endocrine physiology.

Most oncologists perform staging in cancer patients to help determine treatment options and prognosis.

Dr. Niemiec provides his recommendations on these dental care basics.

Hiring is a big decision -- I trust my gut.

Digital radiography is a hot topic in veterinary medicine. Some would even say it is the latest craze. Considering that digital radiography and a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) will initially cost a practice between $50,000 and $150,000, switching from film to digital images is not a decision to be taken lightly.

Since digital radiography displays radiographs on computer monitors rather than as hard copies (film), an integral component of any digital radiography unit is the image display.

One of the first steps in switching to digital radiography is deciding which type of system to purchase.

Digital radiography is gaining popularity in veterinary medicine because it offers several advantages over traditional film-based radiography, including improved imaging latitude, fewer retakes, access to teleradiology, and improved patient care through better image quality.