CT Scan - Computed Tomography

What is CT and how does it work?

Computed Tomography or CT is another important resource in the South Paws advanced diagnostic imaging toolkit. South Paws offers a state-of-art, Samsung Neurologica CereTom 8 slice CT scanner. This scanner is designed specifically with small animal patients in mind. The CereTom has the capability of scanning small animal patients quickly, with excellent image quality and minimal radiation exposure. Example: Scan time for location of an intervertebral disc extrusion is approximately 30 seconds! This CT scanner is quite extraordinary in that it is both portable and self-shielding, allowing us to perform CT scans anywhere in the hospital, including the operating room. Additionally, the CereTom has state of the art 3-D rendering of images, giving us an enormous amount of information for pre-surgical planning.

CT uses x-rays to create a cross-sectional image of all tissue types of the body region scanned. This is achieved by imaging thin slices of the patient, similar to slicing a loaf of bread. This form of imaging, tomography, provides the radiologist much more information about the patient than conventional radiography by eliminating the superimposition of structures that often complicates interpretation of radiographic studies.

Common CT Applications At South Paws

  • Head Trauma and Trauma Related Injuries
  • Middle Ear Evaluation – Otitis media
  • Intervertebral Disc Disease/Spinal Cord Compression, Spinal Neoplasia
  • Syringohydromyelia
  • Portosystemic Shunts – Intrahepatic and extrahepatic shunt identification
  • Evaluation of Nasal Disease: Cancer, fungal Disease, bacterial Infection
  • Fracture Evaluation: Surgical planning
  • Orthopedic Joint Evaluation – OCD, Elbow dysplasia – (FCP, UAP, OCD)
  • Angular Limb Deformities – Pre-surgical planning of corrective osteotomies
  • Evaluation of Tumors and Other Cancers – CT is the preferred method for diagnosing many different cancers, since the image allows a veterinarian to confirm the presence, size, and location of a tumor as well as the extent of the tumor’s involvement with other nearby tissue.
  • Metastatic Disease Evaluation – CT is one of the best tools for studying the chest and abdomen because it provides detailed, cross-sectional views of all types of tissue.
  • Intestinal and Gastric Foreign Bodies
  • Kidney Stones, Bladder Stones, and Ureteroliths

Further Information

South Paws Outpatient CT/MRI Imaging Process (pdf)
NeuroWeb Veterinary Exam Form (pdf)
South Paws Outpatient CT/MRI Referral Form (pdf)

CT Scan - Computed Tomography

What is CT and how does it work?

Computed Tomography or CT is another important resource in the South Paws advanced diagnostic imaging toolkit. South Paws offers a state-of-art, Samsung Neurologica CereTom 8 slice CT scanner. This scanner is designed specifically with small animal patients in mind. The CereTom has the capability of scanning small animal patients quickly, with excellent image quality and minimal radiation exposure. Example: Scan time for location of an intervertebral disc extrusion is approximately 30 seconds! This CT scanner is quite extraordinary in that it is both portable and self-shielding, allowing us to perform CT scans anywhere in the hospital, including the operating room. Additionally, the CereTom has state of the art 3-D rendering of images, giving us an enormous amount of information for pre-surgical planning.

CT uses x-rays to create a cross-sectional image of all tissue types of the body region scanned. This is achieved by imaging thin slices of the patient, similar to slicing a loaf of bread. This form of imaging, tomography, provides the radiologist much more information about the patient than conventional radiography by eliminating the superimposition of structures that often complicates interpretation of radiographic studies.

Common CT Applications At South Paws

  • Head Trauma and Trauma Related Injuries
  • Middle Ear Evaluation – Otitis media
  • Intervertebral Disc Disease/Spinal Cord Compression, Spinal Neoplasia
  • Syringohydromyelia
  • Portosystemic Shunts – Intrahepatic and extrahepatic shunt identification
  • Evaluation of Nasal Disease: Cancer, fungal Disease, bacterial Infection
  • Fracture Evaluation: Surgical planning
  • Orthopedic Joint Evaluation – OCD, Elbow dysplasia – (FCP, UAP, OCD)
  • Angular Limb Deformities – Pre-surgical planning of corrective osteotomies
  • Evaluation of Tumors and Other Cancers – CT is the preferred method for diagnosing many different cancers, since the image allows a veterinarian to confirm the presence, size, and location of a tumor as well as the extent of the tumor’s involvement with other nearby tissue.
  • Metastatic Disease Evaluation – CT is one of the best tools for studying the chest and abdomen because it provides detailed, cross-sectional views of all types of tissue.
  • Intestinal and Gastric Foreign Bodies
  • Kidney Stones, Bladder Stones, and Ureteroliths

Further Information

South Paws Outpatient CT/MRI Imaging Process (pdf)
NeuroWeb Veterinary Exam Form (pdf)
South Paws Outpatient CT/MRI Referral Form (pdf)