The Royal School of Veterinary Studies becomes Scotland’s first hospital to offer both standing CT and MRI

Sarah Taylor, ECVS, RCVS Specialist in Equine Surgery, and Padraig Kelly, MVM, MRCVS, Dip ECVS with a patient at The University of Edinburgh’s Dick Vet Equine Hospital (Images courtesy of The University of Edinburgh’s Dick Vet Equine Hospital)

The University of Edinburgh’s Dick Vet Equine Hospital (Dick Vet Equine Hospital) announced it now has a standing CT scanner to complement the hospital’s existing standing MRI scanner. The delivery of the Hallmarq VisionCT also makes Dick Vet Equine Hospital the first in Scotland to offer both the standing CT and MRI to its patients.

According to an organizational release, the dual imaging modalities will improve existing diagnostic treatments and expertise significantly.¹ The hospital will also perform a 3-year study to assess which imaging systems for detecting different distal limb issues is preferred.

“We are excited to offer both standing MRI and CT scans at no extra cost to our clients. This will significantly aid the diagnosis of lameness of our patients. Having both imaging modalities will also provide an excellent opportunity to do some sensitivity and specificity studies to determine whether CT or MRI is better for detecting different injuries in a horse's foot,” expressed Padraig Kelly, MVM, MRCVS, Dip ECVS, in the release.¹

Dick Vet Equine Hospital received the standing CT scanner last month and it’s designed for scanning the distal limbs in standing sedated equine patients. When patients are referred to the hospital for an MRI of their foot or lower limb, the horse will also now receive a free CT scan beforehand for the duration of the 3-year study.¹ Professionals at the hospital will use the CT scan to check the hoof wall for metal clenches that could be present prior to the MRI to avoid any injuries associated with metal migrating within the MRI.

This multimodal and 3D imaging approach can provide the veterinary team with an enhanced level of information regarding the patient’s hoof capsule and its contents to help with diagnosing and treating these patients. The new CT’s scanner rotates around the patient’s leg and performs the high-resolution 3D, potentially within 3 minutes.¹ The machine has a cone beam nature to it that can be programmed to focus on a certain area of the horse’s lower leg to minimize radiation exposure to the surrounding tissues.

The scanner is in a multipurpose built-room that has a walk-in, walk-out floor-level system to make the horses easy entry and safe exit is ensured for the standing, sedated horses which means the team will no longer need to use general anesthesia.

Because the CT relies on X-rays and tissue density, the veterinary team will be able to better identify issues that are affecting the bone and hoof wall of the patient. A standing CT scan could also image the foot, pastern, and fetlock simultaneously in under 5 minutes, once the patient has been sedated and positioned.

“Having used the Hallmarq MRI system for over 19 years at the University of Edinburgh I am looking forward to seeing the additional benefits combined CT and MRI imaging can bring to lameness diagnosis,” expressed Sarah Taylor, ECVS, RCVS Specialist in Equine Surgery.¹

Reference

Dick Vet Equine Hospital first in Scotland to offer standing CT and MRI to patients. News release. The University of Edinburgh’s Dick Vet Equine Hospital. March 22, 2024. Accessed April 3, 2024. https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/news-events/2024/dick-vet-equine-hospital-first-in-scotland-to-offe