This Icelander underwent a CT scan due to a circumferential enlargement with fistula formation on the lower jaw. Photo: Corinna ArnoldA few days ago, a modern computed tomography (CT) scanner was inaugurated at Leipzig University’s Equine Clinic. The device opens up new examination possibilities for animal patients, said Kerstin Gerlach, an expert in diagnostic imaging at the Equine Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Leipzig is now the first university in Germany to have a device which, thanks to various adaptations and modifications, enables computer tomographic examinations to be carried out on horses in regions that were previously difficult to access. The new computer tomograph is the only system in the world that has been specifically adapted for use on horses. It replaces the previous device, which was irreparably damaged after many years of service.
Under anesthesia, this pony was placed completely into the gantry (CT tube) for the first time in order to visualize the pelvis. Photo: Kerstin Gerlach When standing, limbs can be positioned in such a way that an examination is possible. The picture shows a forelimb. Photo: Christin Rohde
CT examinations on horses pose particular challenges, as the size and mass of the horse make it difficult to examine orthopaedically relevant regions of the body. On the other hand, anesthesia is more often problematic than in smaller animals," explains Prof. Gerlach. For this reason, attempts have long been made to examine certain regions of the limbs that are difficult to access on standing, sedated horses. With the new CT scanner, Gerlach and her team are now able to carry out some examinations standing up due to the larger opening of the device as well as some modifications and aids. As the new device can also be lowered, even regions that are difficult to examine, such as the entire cervical spine, shoulder joints or knee joints in recumbent horses, can be examined under anesthesia in just 10 to 15 minutes. This has opened up new and far-reaching diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities - particularly for horses, but also for other animals.
The first patient to undergo CT was this Hanoverian, whose head was examined, Photo: Christin Rohde
The CT device, which cost around 850,000 euros, was financed in equal parts by the Free State of Saxony and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The extensive conversion work was carried out by the Saxon State Real Estate and Construction Management (SIB).
