Current diagnostic capabilities are becoming more and more affordable and available. This has lead to us recently purchasing a My LAB 30 Ultrasound.
As far as diagnostic imaging goes, the step up between x-ray and ultrasound is enormous. Ultrasound uses sound waves rather than x-rays so it is considered to be a lot safer and, as in human medicine, is the diagnostic modality of choice for pregnancy; this is a reflection of its safety. It can often be performed with no or light sedation. It does, however, require the area to be clipped of hair so that we can apply a gel to get good contact that allows transmission of the sound waves.
Radiology is still the imaging method of choice for fractures and bony conditions. Because of the density of bone it does not allow sound waves to travel and it is thus useless for analysis of bony changes. But with respect to soft tissue and fluid it opens up a new world for us. Where radiology will show us, for example, the outline of a kidney or a liver, an ultrasound will show us huge amounts of detail within the organ itself. It can answer questions such as is there a diffuse liver disease like hepatitis or a focal disease such as a cancer. Within this organ ultrasound will allow us to guide a needle into a suspect area for a biopsy.
Ultrasound is also the choice modality for analysis of cardiac function; it can measure the size of the heart, the size of individual chambers and give an insight into how well blood flows through the valves. The use of colour flow Doppler allows us to see the actual flow of blood within the heart; is it smooth and all in one direction or is there rough mixing up of blood through a faulty valve. It can even be used to measure the velocity or speed of blood through various vessels. As you can imagine this is a lot more detail than an x-ray with which we can say that a heart is big or normal sized.
This machine is an investment in technology that is cutting edge today and should allow us to provide excellent service for you and your pets for the next five to seven years. Within the Auckland area we are the only clinic apart from the Veterinary Specialist Group that has a machine of this quality.
