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Diagnostic Imaging
CT Scan & MRI
Submitted to:
Sir Abdul Qayyum

Submitted by:
Group No 5
DVM 6th Semester
2015-2020
Group Members:
Zainab Javed 01
Hasseb Arshad 02
JamshaidSarmad 20
Nida Bashir 21
Hafiz Muhammad Mubashar Ali 29
Muhammad Kashif 33
Ameer Hamza 37
M. Tasadaq Hameed 51

UCV&AS
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakisan

Prepared By: Group # 5 DVM 6th 2015-20

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Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

Introduction
Computed Tomography (CT) scan or Computer Axial Tomography (CAT) scan utilizes
rotating X-rays around the part to be examined to make cross-sectional. Both two and three
dimensional images are reconstructed from the acquired CT data around a single axis of rotation.
The first clinical CT scanner was built and installed at Atkinson-Morley Hospital in England in
September 1971. General anesthesia or deep sedation in small animal patients is utilized along
with various foam positioning devices for proper positioning. In CT, the source/detector makes a
complete 360-degree rotation about the subject obtaining a complete set of data from which
images may be reconstructed.

Principle
Principle is based on the fact given by mathematician J. Radon who proved that a two or three
dimensional object can be reconstructed uniquely from the infinite set of all of its projections.
The aim of the system is to produce a series of images by a tomographic method.

Advantages
 CT has become an important tool in medical imaging to supplement X-rays and medical
ultrasonography. CT completely eliminates the superimposition of images of structures
outside the area of interest.
 CT scanning is very useful as it can construct a detailed 3-D image of parts to be
examined in contrast conventional radiography suffers from the collapsing of 3-D
structures onto a 2D image. Scan can be viewed as images in the axial, coronal, or
sagittal planes, depending on the diagnostic task. This is referred to as multiplanar
reformatted imaging.

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 Soft tissues, blood vessels, the lungs, the brain, abdomen, and bones are well visualized
by CT scanning. Although resolution is lower in CT, it has extremely good low contrast
resolution, enabling the detection of very small changes tissue type.
 Although it is still quite expensive, it is the gold standard in the diagnosis of a large
number of different disease entities.
 CT scan can also provide valuable data on the patient’s vascular condition.

Disadvantages
 Compared to other diagnostic tests, CT scans deliver a relatively high dose of radiation to
the patient. While this is not usually a problem for a single scan, patients who need to
undergo repeated tests can be subjected to a significant level of radiation, increasing their
cancer risk.
 Allergic Reaction: Patients who undergo a CT scan often receive a dose of what’s known
as a “contrast material,” containing iodine. This allows specific areas of the body to be
highlighted on the scan. Some people can have an allergic reaction to this, and this is the
most common side effect CT scan patients complain of. Symptoms can include a metallic
taste in the mouth, itchiness, hives and shortness of breath. Contrast materials without
iodine are available and are becoming more widely used.
 Misinterpretations: Because a CT scan is so detailed, it can sometimes alert doctors to
minor abnormalities in the body that don’t have symptoms related to them and that in the
normal course of life would not have caused the patient any problems. However, doctors
may feel the obligation to divulge this information to patients, which can cause anxiety
and possibly unnecessary follow-up tests or treatments.
 Beam hardening artifacts
 Some procedures require anesthesia

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Introduction
Magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), or magnetic
resonance tomography (MRT) is a medical imaging technique to visualize internal structures of
the body by using property of nuclear magnetic resonance to image nuclei of atoms inside the
body.
Initially known as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging after its early use for chemical analysis.
"Nuclear" was dropped off about 25 years ago because of fears that something radioactive
involved, which there is not.

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NMR was discovered simultaneously by two physicists, Bloch and Purceli,1946, just after the
end of World War II.

Principle of MRI:
Certain atomic nuclei will absorb and remit radio waves when placed under strong magnetic
field. This phenomenon is called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Radio waves reemitted can
be used to construct a diagnostic anatomic image through a computer assisted technique is
termed as MRI.

Basics:
It is a device in which the patient is placed within the field of very large and powerful magnet which in
turn align some atomic nuclei in the body by magnetization and radio frequency magnetic fields are
applied systematically to alter the alignment of this magnetization. Thus nuclei produce a rotating
magnetic field detectable by the scanner and which is recorded to constant an image of the area of
interest. In different body parts variable magnetic field gradients are created and fourier analysis of the
measured signal draws spatial information. By using this variable magnetic field gradients in different
directions 2D images or 3D volumes are constructed. The atom that MRI use is hydrogen atom, it has
a single proton and strongly affected by the magnetic field- it is more likely to line up than other
atoms.

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 MRI scanner now releases radio frequency(RF) that is only picked up by hydrogen
 This RF makes the proton spin at a particular direction. This is resonance bit
 When the RF is turned off, the nuclei start to lose energy and return to where they were in
the magnetic field
 The coil now picks up that excess energy and send the signals to the computer which is
the imaging part of the scan.
The frequency at which the nuclei will resonate is directly proportional to the strength of the
magnetic field and is called Larmor frequency.
The energy emitted by the excited nuclei in the form of radio waves is known as free induction
signal. Decrease in free induction signal with time is called as free induction decay.
. The process through which excited nuclei return to equilibrium by giving up energy to
environment is known as relaxation. It occurs by
 Spin lattice rotation
 Spin spin rotation
These are defined by two exponential time constants T 1 and T2. Smaller molecules such as
water relax much more slowly than medium size molecules such as lipids. As CSF has longer T1
relaxation than brain tissues, it appears dark on T1 weighted image but White on T2 weighted
image.
Advantages:
● MRI provides a good contrast between the different soft tissues of the body, which
makes it especially useful in imaging the brain, muscles, the heart and cancers compared
with other medical imaging techniques such as computed tomography(CT) or X- ray.
● Unlike CT scans or traditional X-rays, MRI systems do not use ionizing radiation.
● MRI can image any plane. In contrast CT scans are limited to one plane, axial plane.
Disadvantage:

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● Pets with pacemakers cannot have MRIs.

● Noise arises due to electrical current in the wires of the gradient magnets being opposed
by the main magnetic field.
● MRI scans require longer time of about 20 minutes to 90 minutes or more.
● Even very slight movement of the part being scanned cause motion unsharpness like
images which means the scanning will need to be repeated.
● Metallic orthopedic implants like plates. Screws, wires, prosthetic joints in the area of a
scan cause distortions of the images.
● MRI is expensive.
Uses:
● Primarily as a research tool specially for CNS disease in small animals.
● It has numerous musculoskeletal applications. It has been effective tool in evaluation of
internal derrangement of human knee joint.
● Can be used in understanding of pathogenesis of traumatic arthritis, osteochondrosis in
equines and wobbler syndrome in dogs.
● It is useful for differentiating inflammatory condition from neoplastic stage.
● Differentiate tumor from peritumoral edema.
● Diagnose soft tissue tumors like lipomas, heamanginomas and cysts.
● Specific and sensitive in detecting and differentiating osteomyelitis, cellulitis and
abscess.
References
 A text book on Veterinary Surgery and Radiology by Sumit Kumar Nandi, Samar Halder,
and Mozammel Haque
 Veterinary Radiology Basic Principles and Radiographic Positioning by A. P. Singh
 Text Book of Veterinary Diagnostic Radiology by Thrall

Prepared By: Group # 5 DVM 6th 2015-20