SoCal Equine Hospital installs innovative CT scanner

SoCal Equine Hospital in Norco, California has recently installed an equine weight-bearing, standing Asto CT (Computed Tomography) Equina scanner.

All images photo courtesy of SoCal Equine Hospital.

In a company release,¹ SoCal Equine Hospital veterinarian and equine surgeon, Paul Wan, DVM, DACVS, CERT VBM, stated, “The Equina is one of the most innovative, advanced imaging devices available for veterinary medicine. We can scan front or back limb pairs, or the head/neck of a standing horse under light sedation, allowing the patient to be in and out in just minutes with minimal stress and risk.”

In just 3 days, the Equina was installed in one of the smallest rooms, and quickly used on various patients. In the first 2 days, 15 horses were scanned for different limb and head/neck injuries. The throughput and capability to solve challenging cases proved the value of the Equina standing CT.

Wan shared details of this first case. “Dublin, a famous Belgian Draft horse, presented with chronic front limb lameness that was sent to SoCal Equine Hospital for diagnosis. We administered light sedation, scanned his front limbs, and immediately diagnosed a navicular fracture (see image below). We can now create a proper treatment plan based on this diagnosis.”

Fracture of right front navicular bone.

SoCal Equine Hospital veterinarian and equine surgeon, Katie Weatherall, DVM, MS, DACVS-LA, added, in the release: “I am very impressed with the excellent image quality obtained by the Equina, and the ease of image acquisition. The opportunity to provide this new level of diagnostic imaging to our equine community is very exciting and I look forward to utilizing the Equina in many future cases.”

“Asto CT is excited to partner with SoCal Equine Hospital,” commented Asto CT CEO, David Ergun. “We believe their cutting-edge technology-based approach to equine medicine is a strong fit for Equina. We are excited to see Equina become available to the large equine population of Southern California.”

Patients can be scanned at SoCal Equine Hospital’s Norco-based clinic. All images will have an initial internal review and then be sent for external review by a board-certified radiologist for a definitive diagnosis.

Reference

Innovative technology set to further improve levels of care at SoCal Equine Hospital. News release. SoCal Equine Hospital. March 2023. Accessed March 9, 2023.