Angell Animal Medical Center gains MRI

BOSTON—Angell Animal Medical Center had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine installed last month, one of only a handful in the country for animals.

Advanced Veterinary Technologies Inc. is leasing the machine to the hospital. The PC-1/80 Veterinary MRI System has a customized bed, called a v-block, so small animals can be held securely in place while the machine scans them.

The machine is calibrated to take images of tissues smaller than those in humans.

MRI images allow a more-accurate diagnosis, especially on soft tissues, such as the brain and spinal cord, says Dr. Kathy Beck, director of the Diagnostic Imaging Center at Angell.

Having an on-site system is expected to reduce the cost of an MRI procedure from $875 to $600, sans anesthesia, Beck says.

Advanced Veterinary Technologies is a six-person start-up with facilities in New Windsor, N.Y. and Gardner, N.Y.