When to Use a CT Scan and When to Use an MRI?
CT and MRI are wonderful techniques for a wide range of indications, and we want to make them available to as many veterinarians and their patients as possible.
In some cases, a CT scan may be the better choice, while in others, an MRI is the preferred imaging method.
The table below shows when a CT scan or an MRI is indicated.
CT |
MRI |
|
Skeleton(Lameness) |
+++Fractures and Tumors |
+(+)Bone edema |
Tendons and Muscles(Lameness) |
+Changes in symmetry |
++Edema in muscles/tendons |
Nose and Sinuses(Chronic nasal discharge) |
+++Rhinitis, fungi, foreign bodies, tumors |
+++Rhinitis, fungi, foreign bodies, tumors |
Brain(Tetraparesis/tetraplegia, hemiparesis/hemiplegia, behavioral changes, epilepsy) |
++Acute cerebral hemorrhage, (large) tumors, head trauma |
+++Cerebral edema; tumors, encephalitis, meningitis, hematoma, infarction, Chiari malformation/syringomyelia |
Ear canals and bullae(Deafness, balance disorders) |
++Polyp, tumor, otitis media |
+++Polyp, tumor, |
Jaws/oral cavity(Swelling, pain) |
+++Tumor in the gums and oral cavity, fractures, dental problems, tumor spreading to the jaw/nose |
+++Tumor in the gums and oral cavity, fractures, dental problems, tumor spreading to the jaw/nose |
Retrobulbar region(Bulging eye) |
++Tumors/abscesses behind the eye |
+++Tumors/abscesses behind the eye |
Neck and Back(Pain, paresis/paralysis) |
++Extradural problems (HNP), fractures, tumors, discospondylitis |
+++Extradural and intramedullary conditions, |
Thorax(Breathing problems) |
+++Metastases in the lungs and mediastinum, hydrothorax and chylothorax, lobe torsion |
–Too many motion artifacts |
Abdomen(Stomach problems) |
+++Liver problems, liver metastases, tumors, kidney and urinary tract abnormalities, ectopic ureters, shunts, adrenal tumors, prostate problems, conditions that are difficult to visualize on ultrasound |
+Retroperitoneal problems, kidney problems, tumors in the prostate and pelvic cavity |