| Treatment is more succesful with an accurate diagnosis- MRI |
Bill Hay, DVM, Diplomate, ACVS
Tryon Equine Hospital is pleased to announce their partnership with MREquine, MRI Systems. On a monthly basis in coordination with the services and equipment provided by MREquine, Tryon Equine has the ability to provide MRIs. MREquines equipment is the latest in MRI technology and is already in use in several universities across the country.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a technique that uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to act on the atoms in the tissues. A computer then processes the signals to create an image of the designated body part. It provides high levels of visual detail that can be viewed in thin slices and gives a more complete picture of bone, joint and soft tissue. MRI is non-invasive, non-painful and does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation.
MREquine has a state of the art mobile unit that will be positioned at the hospital. The high resolution images from this system give us detailed information about soft tissue injuries, joint surfaces and joint cartilage that are superior to the other MRI systems we have evaluated. The doctors and staff of Tryon Equine have established the anesthetic protocols and provide the anesthetic monitoring for each patient. Every patient receiving general anesthesia is then supervised and hand recovered in our specially designed recovery stall. One of our greatest concerns in obtaining MRI images in horses with soft tissue injury is the risk of additional injury recovering from anesthesia. We have found that hand recovery by our doctors and staff greatly decreases the risk of injury for our patients.
Once the images are obtained they are reviewed by the Tryon Equine veterinarians and the boarded radiologists of MREquine, who provide a written report. The detailed images and review allow for a more precise diagnosis of your horses lameness. This level of detail even surpasses our digital ultrasound and radiographs. We are able to image the foot, fetlock, cannon bone, carpus and hock, including the difficult to diagnose soft tissue injuries in the hoof. With this technology we can provide local veterinarians and clients with a more thorough diagnosis. We look forward to working with clients and referring veterinarians with this new diagnostic tool to diagnose, then treat and keep the horses happy, healthy and going strong.
We have been extremely pleased with the images obtained and successes of our MRI cases this fall. We are excited to be able to bring this technology to our area in a continuing effort to improve our ability to get your horse healed and you both back out doing what you love.
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