Mris And Ct Scans Being Used On Pets, Too

Quietly, confidently and almost monthly since November 1991, Dr. Chuck Root enters a mobile trailer on a Saturday or Sunday behind Snohomish Veterinary Hospital, hoping to discover what ails three to four beloved pets.

A few hours later he emerges and usually the news isn't upbeat for the anxious and apprehensive owners, a phone call away.

It's not cloak-and-dagger stuff. Far from it, he is performing state-of-the art MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) on his anesthetized four-legged patients.

For the past year, his Animal Medical Imaging associate, Dr. Robert Kramer, has ventured into the night - or sometimes on Saturday - to an Eastside human imaging (radiology) facility.

His modus operandi is similar. He enters a near-empty building, leaving it the same way several hours later, after completing CT scans on two or three subjects, some the forerunner to surgery, others simply as a relief valve for an exasperated owner.

Same as before

"We leave the sites just as we find them," says Root. "With no hair, odor, dander, parasites or anything out of place." Beforehand, each pet is bathed, dipped and groomed.

The buzzwords of human medicine, CT scans and MRIs, are now a growing part of their veterinary counterpart.

All patients reach the two via referral from area general practitioners and specialists, seeking assistance for determining future courses of treatment.

All are hurting

Patients come in all shapes, sizes and ages but with one common denominator. All are hurting, some real bad. For one, it might be a disc problem in the lower back. Another might be suffering from a brain tumor. A third could be favoring a sore elbow.

"I suspect the general public is unaware of the sophistication for diagnostic imaging in animals," says Root. While MRIs and CT scans comprise less than 1 percent of their practice - which performs in excess of 1,000 radiographic readings a month - they offer unlimited potential.

Radiologists aren't the glamour professionals of veterinary medicine, Root concedes. "In fact, some think we select this specialty because we don't like human contact." Ironically, it's the radiologist, in a growing number of instances, who must break the bad news to a dedicated owner. "It's certainly not enjoyable, but veterinary medicine means working with people as well as pets," adds Root.

"I got involved because I like detective work. I am much happier trying to find the answers, rather than the cures."

Root and Kramer are among 150 members of American College of Veterinary Radiology.

MRIs are most commonly used for lesions of the central nervous system, i.e. brain tumors, and intervertebral disk disease (compression on nerve roots), particularly cauda equina syndrome (pressure on the nerve roots in the lower spine of medium to large dogs.)

In humans, MRIs are associated with assessment of soft-tissue injuries of the knee (cruciate ligaments, menisci, etc.) but few dogs have large enough intraarticular structures to allow for satisfactory imaging.

CT scans, which utilize X-rays compared to the magnetic and radio frequency energy of the MRI, are most effective for probing bone areas, such as the skull for brain tumors, the elbow for developmental problems, the nasal passages for masses and the inner ear for fluid accumulations.

CT scans cost approximately $500, MRIs between $800-$850.

"The vast majority of patients go home the same day," says Root. "If there are any complications or we discover something serious during either procedure the pet may remain hospitalized. The MRIs are usually performed on Saturday or Sunday when many clinics are closed.

Most are routine

The majority of the CT scans and MRIs are routine, but Root adds, "We can do an emergency CT if required, but getting access to the MRI equipment on short notice is more difficult."

Some patients, says Root, reach the radiologists more from their veterinarian's response to their owner's anxiety than due to observed medical science. "Some leave with no abnormalities found but in a surprising number of cases, we detect a problem," says Root. In one case, a dog was put on the MRI schedule but shortly afterward it began feeling better and the owner almost canceled the appointment. She decided to go ahead with it and a brain tumor was discovered.

Most owners anxiously await a preliminary finding from Root and Kramer. "We try to communicate with them what we have found, but we always caution them that it's not the final word. There is not enough viewing space or darkness at the Snohomish hospital to adequately study each MRI series in depth.

"We want to take time by ourselves at the office to analyze each study and if there's any question to get each other's opinion."

Another more common diagnostic tool used by the two is ultrasound. It has become a method of choice for noninvasive imaging of soft-tissue lesions, says Root. It is commonly utilized to look for abnormalities of the liver, kidneys, spleen and heart. It's a clean procedure, adds Root, "and sometimes allows us to make an accurate assessment within a few seconds, once we focus on the trouble spot. Root has performed as many as seven in a day and the practice averages 60-70 a month.

Animal Medical Imaging is the lone Western Washington outlet offering CT scans and MRIs for pets. Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman provides similar services.

"Veterinarians are recognizing more and more the priority of animals in clients' lives. CT scans and MRIs offer the practitioner a clearer perspective of diagnosing what ails the family pet. And they remove the guess work and uncertainty for the owner who is pondering what to do with that dog or cat that has been his or her best friend for 10 years or more.

"By most standards, that's a pretty good bargain."

Mail information regarding dog/cat events to Classified Division, attn. Marilyn Fairbanks, Dog/Cat Events, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. All releases must be in writing and received by Monday prior to Sunday publication. Be sure to include a phone number. Pet tip of the week is on The Times InfoLine, 464-2000, then press PETS (7387).