The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with LONGMILE Veterinary Imaging, has completed the first phase of the validation of the MILE-PET, the first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner specifically designed to image the limbs of standing horses, using light sedation, eliminating the need for anesthesia.
With a goal of bringing imaging technology directly to the racetrack, UC Davis veterinary researchers are helping the horse racing industry to better detect and understand injuries, and ultimately prevent future catastrophic breakdowns. The technology being utilized by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is positron imaging tomography (PET), and its development continues to make major progress toward early detection of racehorse injuries.
A leg injury can quickly spell the end of a racehorse’s career. For one racehorse in California, though, her injury offered an opportunity for innovative imaging and stem cell treatments, and ultimately a trip back to the winner’s circle. In November 2016, Irish Streetsinger, a 3-year-old female Thoroughbred, was showing some lameness while training and was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital for evaluation. Owner Bob McCabe was willing to do whatever it took to get Irish Streetsinger healthy again.
Kevin, a 3-year-old male domestic longhair cat, required a CT scan to determine the extent of his maxillofacial injuries. Like with all cases in the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS) that need this imaging, Kevin was wheeled to the cone-beam CT machine by registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) Monica Calder and Megan Loscar. While this sounds like an easy enough task, it’s actually quite labor intensive due to the vastness of the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Cancer can be a devastating diagnosis for any pet owner. But now, thanks to new advanced imaging equipment known as the Mini Explorer II, UC Davis veterinarians can diagnose and treat disease earlier, with greater precision.
8-year-old female spayed domestic short hair cat. Historical diaphragmatic hernia incidentally diagnosed three years ago. The patient has been intermittently coughing for the past few years. The past month, the coughing is more frequent / severe, with respiratory distress.
Dr. Erik Wisner is a faculty member in diagnostic imaging at the University of California, Davis. He is a world expert in CT and MRI imaging, and co-authored the textbook “Atlas of Small Animal CT and MRI”. Dr. Wisner is a popular and accomplished speaker and teacher, and has trained imaging residents from all over the world.
Videofluoroscopy
New Insight Into Pharyngeal Collapse
Dr. Rachel Pollard is an international expert on videofluoroscopy in dogs that have trouble swallowing or trouble breathing. Videofluoroscopy, or fluoroscopy for short, is an imaging technique that uses x-rays to film breathing and swallowing in real time. A normal x-ray offers a snapshot in time, which is useful for static problems like a broken bone or an enlarged heart.
The hospital is currently in the process of implementing a modern, sustainable Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) that provides cutting-edge clinical, teaching, and research imaging functions for clinicians, students, faculty, staff, referring veterinarians, and clients. The hospital’s current PACS is aging and does not allow clinicians to utilize it to the best of its abilities.
In May, the UC Davis veterinary hospital started imaging patients on a new PET/CT scanner known as the Mini Explorer II. This advanced imaging system, the first of its kind in the world, is designed to provide veterinarians with both anatomic and physiologic information.
