Veterinary Diagnostic Cancer Imaging

CSU's imaging services rival those of any specialized human oncology center. We are staffed by a group of board-certified veterinary radiologists and radiology technologists who use a full selection of imaging equipment to provide the best in cancer diagnosis and interpretation. Diagnostic imaging is used at every stage of a cancer patient's care, and is an essential part of cancer detection, evaluating for cancer spread, treatment planning and monitoring.

Positron Emission Tomography / Computed Tomography (PET/CT) – CSU's exciting new technology for cancer imaging!

CSU is the only veterinary institute with a dedicated PET/CT scanner on its hospital premises, and although its value is well recognized in human oncology, PET/CT is new to veterinary cancer care. You may also have heard of this type of imaging referred to as a PET scan or PET-CT. They all refer to this type of imaging. This new nuclear medicine imaging tool gives our oncologists the best advantage in caring for their patients.

PET/CT provides the most sensitive way to diagnose many cancers and to determine whether it has spread to other areas of the body. Cancer is detected with PET/CT based on its metabolism and the scan also shows the exact location and extent of the cancer, so that we can plan the best treatment for our patients.

Learn more how PET/CT is helpful for veterinary cancer patients and about Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging.

Digital Radiology (X-ray Imaging)
Radiology is the mainstay of diagnosis and screening of cancer patients. Radiology is used extensively for examinations of the thorax, abdomen, and skeleton, as well as to perform special contrast procedures to evaluate the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts, spine, joints and heart. Our xray equipment records images electronically (digitally) which can then be viewed, optimized and transferred by computer. This means results are shared faster with the oncologists, clients and referring practitioners, as well as better storage and recall of images.

Ultrasound Imaging (Ultrasonography)
CSU has a very busy ultrasonography service and is often used for cancer patients. Ultrasound provides information about soft tissue organs, especially within the abdomen, thorax, neck and musculoskeletal system. We also use ultrasound to guide aspiration (the removal of small amounts of material) and biopsies of suspected cancers, as well as for Doppler analysis during vascular examinations.

Computed Tomography (CT)
CSU has a state-of-the-art CT scanner that obtains 16 image slices at once, allowing rapid imaging of our cancer patients. CT is especially useful for 3 dimensional (3D) imaging the head and neck, spine, chest, abdomen, pelvis or limbs. CT images are also used for the sophisticated computerized plans needed for radiation therapy.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI provides highly detailed 3D images of many forms of cancer. MRI is known for its excellence in imaging the brain and spine, but also has many advantages for evaluating cancer in other body regions. With our high-field 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, we not only obtain images that show the location and extent of disease, but we also perform advanced MRI procedures that tell us about cancer physiology and function.

That information can help us to better treat and monitor our patients. Those advanced MR procedures include dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (to evaluate tumor perfusion), magnetic resonance angiography (to detect blood supply), diffusion imaging (to evaluate response to therapy), and spectroscopy (to evaluate cancer metabolism).