As a matter of course, veterinarians vaccinate, neuter, treat infections, and mend broken bones. What you may not realize is that we get to work with all kinds of high-tech diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Some are brand new; others have been around for a long time. Here are some of the cutting-edge technologies that we use to diagnose and treat canine diseases.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound imaging provides so much information with virtually no risk to the patient – a way of “nonsurgically” looking inside the body. It provides a three-dimensional, real-time image of internal organs rather than the two-dimensional still shots from an X-ray. For example, an X-ray shows the silhouette of the heart, but ultrasound of the heart (called an echocardiogram) takes us right inside each of the four chambers where we can evaluate size, how well the heart muscle is contracting, and the function of the heart valves. It’s truly a sight to behold!
Ultrasound is most commonly performed on the heart, abdominal cavity, and smaller body structures such as the eyes, thyroid glands, and blood vessels. Ultrasound is often used in collecting tissue samples without surgery; for example, when I perform a liver biopsy, I create a tiny incision in the skin (so small that no stitches are required) over the abdomen through which the biopsy instrument is passed. I then use ultrasound to help me visually guide the instrument into the liver.
CT and MRI Scans
CT (computed tomography) scans and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans create highly detailed images (more so than ultrasound or plain X-rays can provide) of body parts and use computer technology to capture a series of images that create a very precise three-dimensional ”map” of internal structures. While an X-ray of a dog’s spine produces an image that looks like a skeleton, CT and MRI scans allow visualization inside the skeleton. One can see the spinal canal (the bony tunnel that houses the spinal cord), the spinal cord itself, and the disks between the vertebrae.
CT scans are commonly used to identify cancerous, infectious, or inflammatory diseases within the abdominal and chest cavities. MRI is commonly used to evaluate joints and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). CT scans are often referred to as “CAT” scans, but I assure you, they can be performed on dogs as well as cats!
Digital Radiography
We’ve come a long way from the old hand tanks where we had to sit in a tiny dark room for 10 minutes inhaling chemical vapors while developing a set of x-rays. Digital radiography is rapidly catching on in both human and veterinary medicine. Instead of using traditional photographic film, digital x-ray sensors are used. The beauty of digital radiography is that one can manipulate the pixel shades to correct density and contrast within the image. Thus, a less than ideal exposure can be transformed into a quality end-product. Not only does digital imaging improve the diagnostic capabilities of x-rays, it also cuts down on the number of “reshoots,” thereby decreasing the patient’s exposure to radiation.
Because digital images are stored in computer memory, they can be readily retrieved for viewing and transmitted electronically between doctors in different locations. As if all this weren’t good enough, digital radiography is good for the environment – no more eco-unfriendly x-ray film and developing chemicals to dump.
Interventional Cardiac Procedures
You might have thought that pacemakers were only for people. Not with today’s technology. Just like humans, some dogs have heart rhythm abnormalities that can only be corrected with the use of a pacemaker, which “paces” the heart, causing it to beat within a particular rate range. This is just one of the high-tech interventional cardiac procedures performed by veterinary cardiologists today. Fluoroscopy (an x-ray that streams like a movie) is used to guide various instruments into the heart chambers for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Interventional cardiac techniques are also used for repairing birth defects, taking pressure measurements within the heart, and treating certain types of heartworm disease.
Endoscopy
Endoscopy refers to the use of a long telescopic device (endoscope) to nonsurgically evaluate structures within the body (colonoscopy is one example). The image at the end of the scope is transmitted to either an eyepiece or a video monitor that looks very much like a television screen. When an endoscopic procedure is performed, the scope is passed through natural entry points (nose, mouth, rectum) and then navigated into the respiratory, gastrointestinal, or urinary tracts.
Performing an endoscopic procedure feels a bit like going on safari. Not only do I get a close-up view of the terrain; I also can collect tissue samples for diagnostic purposes using tools that are passed through ports within the scope.
The beauty of endoscopy is that, in many cases, it can accomplish what would otherwise require a surgical procedure. Although the patient must be anesthetized for most endoscopies, the potential for complications and the time needed for full recovery are far less than with surgery.
Endoscopy is commonly used to detect inflammatory, infectious, and cancerous conditions. It also can be used for artificial insemination. And for dogs with undiscriminating taste, endoscopy can be used to retrieve foreign objects. I’ve removed some memorable items throughout the years, ranging from expensive jewelry (worn again after retrieval), to fishhooks, to pantyhose. I clearly recall the horror of endoscopically peering into the stomach of a very large, aggressive dog (anesthetized, thank goodness) and seeing what I thought was a human hand, ear, and hair. It turned out to the chewed remains of a troll doll!
Laparoscopy, Thoracoscopy, and Arthroscopy
These procedures, too, use telescopic devises to look inside the body. But while regular endoscopy introduces the scope via a natural orifice, laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, and arthroscopy introduce rigid scopes through small incisions in the abdomen, chest cavity, or joints, respectively.
These fabulous, minimally-invasive “oscopies” allow us to look around inside the body with far less recovery time than is associated with conventional surgery. Tissue samples can be collected for diagnostic purposes and various abnormalities can be removed or repaired.
Rehabilitation Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy for dogs is the equivalent of physical therapy for humans. The goal is to improve a dog’s quality of life by eliminating, or at least minimizing, physical limitations caused by injury, disease, and the aging process. Rehabilitation techniques include, but are not limited to, massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises.
My personal favorite is the underwater treadmill. Picture a really huge aquarium tank and a happy dog paddling away, experiencing mobility and muscle strengthening not possible for him on dry land. The speed of the treadmill and depth of water are adjusted according to the patient’s specific needs.
Good candidates for rehab include dogs struggling with arthritis, soft tissue and muscle injury, certain neurological and orthopedic diseases, wound healing, and athletic performance issues.
All these marvels of modern veterinary medicine make my job as a veterinarian easier, more effective, and more enjoyable. Discuss them with your dog’s doctor to see how they might be used to improve the health of your pet.
Dr. Nancy Kay is a board-certified specialist in small animal internal medicine at the VCA Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park and the author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life (Trafalgar Square Books). She is the recipient of the American Animal Hospital Association 2009 Hill’s Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award. Dr. Kay shares her life with two dogs, three cats, three goats, and two horses. You can contact her and view her blog at www.speakingforspot.com.
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