Imaging

Belconnen Veterinary Centre proudly boasts Canberra’s most extensive range of imaging modalities.


CT – Computed Tomography

CT is the workhouse of modern veterinary imaging and has advanced the way we treat patients, probably more than any other diagnostic tool. It can be used to view soft tissue structures, complex fractures, into the nasal cavity, vascular anomalies and more. 

Common uses of CT include:

  • Ear, nose and throat studies

  • Abdominal – tumours, shunts

  • Thoracic – lung pathology and tumours

  • Spine – myelography, spinal fractures

  • Orthopaedic – complex fractures, pelvic fractures

  • Stereolithography – 3d printing for surgical planning

  • Elbow dysplasia studies

    • When investigating forelimb lameness in dogs, it is often better to perform x-rays and a CT at the same time as many common causes of lameness will not be detected by x-rays alone

Ultrasound

Ultrasonography is a minimally invasive way of imaging the abdomen, blood vessels and muscles and ligaments. It is very versatile diagnostic tool that we use every. An abdominal Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (a-FAST) is quickly becoming a routine component of every consult in unwell patients. Our highly trained vets can perform the highest quality sonographic exams so your pet can get the care it needs as soon as possible. 

Typical uses of ultrasound include:

  • Echocardiograms – heart ultrasound

  • Bladder ultrasound and cystocentesis

    • Looking for bladder stones and assessing urine for infection

  • Abdominal ultrasound 

    • Assess liver, kidneys, spleen, adrenals, pancreas, intestines, and mesenteric lymph nodes

    • Ultrasound guides biopsies of neoplastic (cancer) cells

    • Searching for foreign bodies

  • Thoracic ultrasound

    • Draining fluid from the thorax

    • Sampling tumours

  • Muscle/masses on the trunk and limbs 

    • Assess muscle and tendon tears and ruptures

    • Search for foreign bodies such as grass seeds

    • Draining abscesses under ultrasound guidance

  • Pregnancy scans and reproductive assessments

    • Scanning of pregnant bitches (from 24days) and queens (15days)

    • Pregnancy ultrasound can also be performed in rats, ferrets, rabbits and guinea pigs

X-rays

Radiography (X-ray) is still a particularly useful imaging modality in companion animals. It is the go-to diagnostic tool for:

  • Foreign bodies – dogs and cats eating foreign material 

  • Simple fractures 

  • Investigation and surgical planning of suspected cruciate rupture 

  • Bladder stones 

    • Useful for differentiating calcium oxalate from struvite based uroliths

  • Thoracic studies

    • Pyothorax

    • Pericardial effusion 

    • Pneumothorax

    • Cardiac enlargement 

    • Pleural effusion

Fluoroscopy

For x-ray studies that look at things in real time, we can now offer fluoroscopy. This is very useful when investigating airway or oesophageal diseases.