Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging has reached a milestone with the 40,000th scan using its Standing Equine MRI machine.
Diagnosing horse lameness without anesthesia
Both standing and high field MRI have proven diagnostic rates of 90% or better, while with the conventional approach to lameness diagnosis only about 30% of tests get a definite result.
MRI was first used for horses in 1997, but it was not until 2003, with the invention of standing MRI by Hallmarq, that the technique became popular among equine veterinarians and generally accessible to horse owners.
Today safe, early and accurate lameness diagnosis is possible using MRI as never before, and the choice of treatment can now be based on a clear diagnosis. Both standing and high field MRI have proven diagnostic rates of 90% or better, while with the conventional approach to lameness diagnosis only about 30% of tests get a definite result.
The British company, which has U.S. offices in Acton, Mass., reported that the 40,000th scan was done on a French saddle horse, R., as part of a re-examination at Clinique Equine de Livet in Saint-Michel-de-Livet, France. Following the treatment of injuries to its front feet, the 8-year-old show jumper was scanned to ensure the horse was ready to return to competition.
Hallmarq’s Standing Equine MRI is designed to scan a horse’s foot and lower limb in a standing position without the need for general anesthesia.
"Hallmarq’s Standing Equine MRI machine really offers veterinarians an easy, reliable and clear diagnostic tool that provides the veterinarian with much-needed information and does not put a horse at risk by requiring general anesthesia,” said Dan Brown, BVSc, MRCVS, business development director at Hallmarq. "Our system is safer for the horse and easier for the veterinarian.”
Standing Equine MRI is designed to diagnose lameness problems in sedated horses. The scans may be conducted with or without anesthesia, and the diagnostic rate is comparable to those of high-field MRI scans done under anesthesia, the company stated.
The machines are made in Guildford, England. Twenty-one have been installed in North America, most recently in Texas and British Columbia, since 2004, according to Halmarq.