Cat Diagnostic Imaging

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What Is Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging For Felines?

Veterinary diagnostic imaging includes radiographs (X-rays), ultrasound, MRIs, and CT scans, all used as diagnostic tools to collect information on your cat's health. The vast majority of imaging is non-invasive and completely painless. However, some imaging may require sedation or even anesthesia because the cat must be kept still to allow for adequate images to be produced. Veterinarians use these images to collect information on your cat to help them to make a medical and sometimes surgical plan.

When Is Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Necessary For Your Cat?

After your veterinarian has examined your cat, he or she may want to begin collecting more information that will lead to a diagnosis and then a treatment plan. X-rays are usually the first line of imaging. The X-ray may lead to a diagnosis, which allows them to move forward with a plan. However, sometimes, the next step may be an ultrasound to get a more thorough or specific look at a particular area of the body.

For instance, if your cat is vomiting and feeling ill, your veterinarian may take an X-ray to look for possible causes, such as obstruction of the intestines or an obvious foreign body. The X-ray may show some signs of an intestinal obstruction. However, before proceeding to surgery, it would be prudent to follow with an abdominal ultrasound in some cases. The ultrasound will give more detail of the area and, therefore, allow more confidence in the treatment plan to move forward with surgery. Occasionally, X-rays and ultrasound allow for a definitive diagnosis, but other times, they will simply add more information to help put the puzzle together for the best treatment plan for your cat.

The four types of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging our veterinarians may utilize to assist in the diagnosis of your cat's condition are:

  • X-Ray
  • Ultrasound
  • MRI
  • CT Scan

*Note: Rau Animal Hospital currently does not perform MRIs or CT Scans*

Types of Diagnostic Imaging 

X-Ray

Cat X-rays have been used throughout the medical community for many decades. They are the most regularly used form of diagnostic imaging in the veterinary industry because they are cost effective (comparatively speaking) and can accurately diagnose the state of skeletal structure and composition, large body cavities, and the presence of many foreign objects. Cat X-rays are painless, but some cats can benefit from sedation to reduce anxiety and stress.

Cat X-rays usually proceed as follows:

  • The cat is placed on the X-ray table.
  • A technician positions the X-ray machine so that the X-ray beam targets only the area of interest.
  • Modern X-ray equipment allows for low levels of radiation and is perfectly safe for your cat when used only occasionally.
  • Because cat X-rays are static images, the procedure usually requires less time than an MRI.
  • Cat X-rays have traditionally been captured on actual film, and they still can be when necessary. However, our X-ray images are now digital, which allows us to capture them on a secure server that our veterinarians can access at any time and share with specialists if necessary.

Ultrasound

A cat ultrasound is the second most common diagnostic imaging tool veterinarians use to diagnose a cat's medical condition. Ultrasounds use soundwaves to examine and photograph internal tissues in real-time. An ultrasound allows a veterinarian to see into a cat's body in real-time, allowing for easy viewing of organs from different angles that are not easily achieved through X-rays. The functioning of various organs can be observed to determine if they are malfunctioning.

A cat ultrasound procedure usually proceeds as follows:

  • A cat ultrasound technician gently presses a small probe against the cat's body that emits digital sound waves
  • The sound waves are directed to various parts of the cat's abdominal area by manually shifting the probe's position
  • The sound beam changes velocity while passing through varying body tissue density, which causes echoes
  • Our ultrasound equipment converts these echoes into electrical impulses, which are then further transformed into a digital image representing the appearance of the tissues.
  • A veterinarian can view these images in real-time and store them for further review at any time.

In modern scanning systems like the ones Rau Animal Hospital has on-site and used on our feline patients, the sound beam sweeps through the body many times per second. This produces a dynamic, real-time image that changes as the cat ultrasound device moves across a cat's body. We can use the ultrasound results to determine what is ailing your cat and devise the most effective treatment protocol.

Common symptoms that may cause a veterinarian to use ultrasound include vomiting, weight loss, kidney impairment or blockage, and heart disease.

MRI

*Note: Rau Animal Hospital currently does not perform MRIs*

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is the newest form of diagnostic imaging being used for both human and veterinary medicine. Cat MRI equipment generates a very powerful magnetic field, resulting in detailed anatomic images of whatever part of a cat's body is being scanned. No X-rays are involved, and an MRI is considered extremely safe.

A cat MRI procedure usually proceeds as follows:

  • The cat's body is continuously pulsed with radio waves for a period of time, usually 10-20 minutes
  • Cats must be sedated for this procedure because humans cannot restrain them and must remain still during the procedure.
  • For the procedure, a cat is placed in a tubular electromagnetic chamber.
  • The pulsing causes the cat's body tissues to emit radio frequency waves that the MRI equipment can detect. Many repetitions of these pulses and subsequent emissions are required to generate adequate digital feedback for the equipment to interpret.
  • The feedback is then converted into images that can be displayed on a screen and can also be saved for future study

CT Scan

*Note: Rau Animal Hospital currently does not perform CT Scans*

CT scans for cats, also known as Cat Scans, are computer-enhanced cat X-ray procedures most often used to evaluate complex body parts, such as the head, chest, some joints, and various internal organs. CT scans show different levels of tissue density and produce more detailed images than X-rays. Unlike MRIs, CT scans for cats do not use magnetic field waves, so they cannot compare changes in fluid levels due to inflammation or bleeding. Therefore, CT scans for cats are used when an MRI is considered unnecessary but a traditional X-ray is inconclusive or insufficient.

CT scans for cats usually proceed as follows:

  • Cats must be sedated for this procedure because they cannot be restrained by humans and must remain still during the procedure
  • The cat is placed on a motorized bed inside of a CT scanner, a machine that takes a series of X-rays from various angles
  • When one series, or scan, is completed, the bed moves forward, and another scan is taken.
  • A computer uses these scans to create cross-sectional images of the body part under investigation and then displays the images on a monitor (An x-ray dye may be injected intravenously to make it easier to see abnormalities)
  • By sequentially scanning an entire body area, an organ or other structure can be imaged without invasively penetrating the body or disrupting neighboring structures.

CT scans for cats are most often used by our veterinarians to detect structural changes deep within a cat's body, including:

  • Tumors
  • Deep abscesses or foreign body presence
  • Fractures

How Feline Radiographs Influence Veterinary Recommendations

The goal of feline radiographs is to ascertain a diagnosis or obtain a final answer without having to perform further, more invasive tests or procedures. For example, an X-ray might show evidence of a tumor of the spine and possibly involve the surrounding muscle. The addition of an MRI would reveal the specific tumor and the extent to which the tumor extends into the surrounding muscle tissue. This type of information is very important for a prognosis and treatment plan.

Veterinary diagnostic imaging offers an array of incredibly useful tools within a veterinarian's toolkit. Sometimes, a diagnostic imaging session can lead to the need for further diagnostics. This is why it is important to understand that diagnostic imaging may lead to a progressive fact-finding mission that must occur to diagnose your cat's ailment.

If you are concerned that your cat might be injured or experiencing internal problems or would like to discuss how feline radiographs can benefit him or her, please contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our veterinarians today.