GatorVet Imaging University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center

GatorVet Imaging

Equipment and Capabilities

Toshiba Vantage 1.5 Tesla high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit (MRI)
GatorVetImaging provides veterinarians and their clients with the capabilities of a Toshiba Vantage 1.5 Tesla high-field MRI unit, the only one of its kind in Florida available for use in animals. This instrument allows highly detailed images to be obtained in multiple planes of bone and soft tissue in all species. MRI can be used to perform orthopedic (bone, muscle, joint), neurologic (brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve) and vascular (shunts, tumor vasculature) studies. The magnet's strength and versatility allows UF veterinary radiologists to make accurate distinction between normal and abnormal tissues.

In horses, MRI can be used to examine the foot, fetlock, suspensory ligaments, carpus, hock and head and is especially useful for evaluating ligaments, cartilage and bone to help differentiate specific causes of lameness.

In small animals, MRI is frequently used for evaluation of orthopedic cases, as well as metastasis evaluation and radiation planning of oncologic cases. The MRI system's large field of view allows UF radiologists to perform whole spine or body examinations on dogs and smaller animals in a single scan, requiring less time under anesthesia.

Toshiba Acquilion 8-slice Multi-detector Row Computed Tomography Unit (MDCT)
Our 8-slice, multi-detector row Toshiba Acquilion CT scanner is an equally powerful diagnostic tool, but uses rotating X-rays to penetrate body tissues, generating multislice, cross-sectional images.

CT is one of the best tools for studying the thorax and abdomen and is useful for detecting primary and metastatic neoplastic lesions in the lung, liver and pancreas. The MDCT at UF provides exceptional spatial resolution, creating slices as thin as 0.5 mm. The use of thin slices combined with the ability to construct three-dimensional reformatted images makes MDCT the tool of choice to evaluate complex fractures and to plan surgical intervention in both small animals and in our equine patients.