CT

CT (Computed Tomography) is an imaging technique in which the body is examined using X-rays.

An X-ray tube moves at high speed around the tunnel through which the patient passes. The tube emits a narrow beam of radiation through the body, which is captured by a detector on the other side. Our system (64-slice) contains 64 of these detectors, allowing us to produce very fast images with very high resolution. The scanner scans a defined part of the body in many slices, enabling cross-sections to be created in any direction and a 3D image of the scanned area to be formed.

A CT scanner uses X-rays. Therefore, you cannot stay with your pet during the examination. The scan takes only a short time—usually just a few minutes—after which the pet is removed from the scanner. During the examination, you can have a cup of coffee or tea in the waiting room.

Every owner who takes a sick animal to the vet is basically interested in only three things:
1. What’s wrong with him? (Diagnosis)
2. What are the chances of recovery? (Prognosis)
3. What can be done? (Treatment)

It will be clear that you cannot answer questions two and three if there is no diagnosis.

Often, we are still unable to reach a clear diagnosis using conventional diagnostic techniques such as X-rays and ultrasound. In many cases, a CT scan may provide a solution. Sometimes an MRI is a better option.

If you have scheduled an CT scan, your pet will need to be anesthetized. This is because your pet must not be allowed to move during the scan.

Proper preparation for surgery under general anesthesia begins at home. The day before the MRI, your pet may not eat any food after 6:00 p.m. Water is allowed! On the day of the procedure, please walk your dog before coming to the clinic at the scheduled time. When you bring your pet to us, you do so with the (correct) expectation that he or she will receive the best medical care. Therefore, in all cases, we perform a physical examination before the animal is put to sleep. During this examination, we pay special attention to the heart and lungs.

If another veterinarian refers you to us, please bring your pet’s medical history with you (including any blood tests and/or X-rays). Just as with human medicine, the anesthetics used in veterinary medicine are very safe. For a healthy animal, the risks of anesthesia are minimal. However, if there are any pre-existing health problems, undergoing anesthesia can cause certain complications. If the pre-operative evaluation does not reveal any problems, our team can confidently administer anesthesia to your animal and begin the examination. During anesthesia, the animal is monitored continuously. After the examination, the animal is awakened and is usually allowed to go home.

Once we have received the results of the animal study and all the images, we will review the results before making a diagnosis. This diagnosis is often made immediately after the examination. If necessary, additional images can be submitted to experts in the field of medical imaging: Dr. I. Gielen and Prof. H. van Bree of Ghent University.

If you are seeing us based on a referral from your own veterinarian, you will be referred back to them for the results and a treatment plan; we will, of course, send them a complete report of our findings.