Cornell installs MRI
Ithaca, N.Y. — Veterinarians at the Cornell Hospital for Animals will get a better view of abnormalities in soft tissue thanks to its new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the first permanent open-magnet MRI in North America specifically designed for companion animals.
ITHACA, N.Y. — Veterinarians at the Cornell Hospital for Animals will get a better view of abnormalities in soft tissue thanks to its new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the first permanent open-magnet MRI in North America specifically designed for companion animals.
"This machine is here 24/7 just for the animals," says Dr. Peter Scrivani, a board-certified radiologist at the hospital. "This is an open MRI, not a closed tunnel that the patient disappears into. The open MRI seems to make the pet owners more comfortable."
Animals are anesthetized so they stay motionless during the about 30- to 45-minute series of scans. Tubes for air and anesthetic gas run through one wall of the enclosure, and an anesthesiologist monitors the flow of gases in and out of the animal's lungs.
A grant from the Maurice and Corinne Greenberg Foundation funded the acquisition. The Italian company Esaote SpA built the Vet-MR system.
