Veterinary radiology

The recent report of the CGAAER¹ on the development of specialized veterinary medicine for pets and sports animals in veterinary schools brings a new and encouraging breath of fresh air to the specialty by proposing to integrate clinical research on sports animals and pets into an academic and research society where all the public and private actors in this research would meet.

Veterinary medicine is increasingly in demand

This report shows that veterinary medicine is following the same trend as the increasing place of animals in our society. Pets have moved from being useful animals to being full members of the family. Today, nearly one in two households has a pet. Moreover, the term pet is not the same as the term domestic animal: an animal is considered domestic if it is raised, fed and reproduced in a human environment. Whereas, a pet is now defined as a domestic animal that has a special emotional relationship with humans. As well as this, there are also owners of useful animals and breeders.
In fact, specialized veterinary medicine is fifty years behind human medicine. 

Veterinary medicine and surgery for domestic carnivores are marked by an increase in technicality attested by the multiplication of veterinary specializations and evidenced by the American and European colleges which distinguish three specialties: internal medicine, cardiology and oncology. Veterinarians must acquire the necessary scientific information for their professional practice, take it into account in the performance of their duties, and maintain and improve their knowledge. 

In the course of their work, veterinary specialists often have state-of-the-art equipment for both diagnosis and treatment of different diseases (for example digital radiology, CT, MRI, ultrasound, endoscopye, orthopedic, soft tissue and neurosurgery, laser, etc.). Obviously, the equipment by itself does not make someone into a specialist: a specialist may have the equipment but above all they must have the knowledge and experience that allow them to make an informed diagnosis. This need for continuous training will clearly have to be addressed. 

The boom in veterinary radiology

Medical imaging is a field of veterinary medicine that has developed considerably since the end of the 20th century. Today, it occupies a dominant place in the diagnostic process. This began with radiography, which gradually became available to a wider public. Ultrasound has followed the same path and is currently an extremely common procedure. In the more recent years, other more advanced cross-sectional diagnostic imaging modalities have become available to veterinarians in Europe: CT, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging technologies, etc. With the advent of digital technology, these techniques are being modernized. Nowadays, veterinarians have access to digital technologies that are not always easy to master.

The emergence of digital technology in the western countries has enabled the development and modernization of medical imaging technologies. These digital technologies are increasingly accessible to veterinarians and open up new opportunities for making diagnosis, preparing treatment plans or assisting interventional procedures. They seem to fit very successfully into the veterinary environment, bringing many advantages and few disadvantages. Veterinary imaging training must take into account these recent needs, by including in the initial training programme the major aspects of new digital medical imaging technologies.

Besides understanding the techniques themselves, anatomical knowledge is the key to understanding diagnostic imaging.

IMAIOS anticipated this trend by developing vet-Anatomy, an atlas of veterinary anatomy based on medical imaging. It was designed in close collaboration with Dr Susanne AEB Boroffka.
Susanne Boroffka, specialist in veterinary radiology (ECVDI diplomate) tells us why it is important to have this educational support: "I think the veterinary curriculum is already so overloaded that I wonder if the imaging component should not be considered post-graduate training. Currently, veterinarians perform their own x-rays. That is why we must teach radiology, especially in the field of the x-ray protection for the safety of the animal and the technicians, owners and veterinarians themselves.
Veterinarians often interpret their imaging studies themselves. They must therefore learn basic skills for the interpretation of radiographs. The introduction of Teleradiology companies enables veterinarians to ask them help from veterinary radiologists.
Also, CT has become available to many veterinary clinics, even though in Europe each country has its own approach. In Switzerland, for example, a veterinary clinic is only allowed to purchase a CT scanner if it has a qualified veterinary radiologist. But in other countries, all veterinarians are allowed to have a scanner and perform examinations. Basically, we teach students how to take x-rays, how an x-ray machine works and how to make a basic interpretation (normal or pathological images, basic rules of interpretation). We use the same machines as for human medicine. I think that veterinary medicine will continue to develop even more, as will medical imaging and types of treatment for animals."

vet-Anatomy is also forging partnerships that offer new development opportunities: Ocean Park in Singapore has provided medical images of alligator and Texas University has provided images of a horse's hoof. It is by continuing to build such partnerships that we can meet the challenges facing veterinary medicine.

Medical imaging is becoming an increasingly important part of veterinary training. The demand for veterinarians specialized in medical imaging is increasing in many countries, so veterinary imaging tends to play an important role in education. 

vet-Anatomy is an exceptional tool for training the veterinarians of tomorrow.