Faster CT Exams With Sedation  & CT Scanner Facts

Pet owners often fear putting their pet under anesthesia. Even though the risk of an anesthetic complication (minor or major) is low, approximately 1 in 100,000 according to some estimates, owners remain concerned. In reality, the anesthesia risk to humans is much greater. The Mayo Clinic cites an estimate of 1 or 2 human patients per 1,000 being at risk of waking up during a procedure under general anesthesia. Perhaps it is stories of loved ones not “waking up” from surgery that have perpetuated an aversion to anesthesia. Whatever the reason, the fear exists and it could take a herculean effort to alter this perception.

In the world of veterinary CT we can circumvent this herculean effort and give pet owners what they want, while providing the best patient care possible. VICSD utilizes a more advanced 64 slice CT scanner, producing the best quality CT scans, using sedation alone.

In the CT world, scan time roughly equates to slice acquisition. A 64 slice scanner is roughly 8 times faster than an 8 slice and 64 times faster than a 1 slice.  So a study that takes 60 seconds with a 1 slice scanner would take roughly 8 seconds with an 8 slice and 1 second with a 64 slice. Most VICSD scans take only a few seconds, allowing the animal to be only sedated.

So next time your patient needs a CT scan, but the owner is concerned about general anesthesia, keep this simple fact in mind. If your patient can have radiographs taken without anesthesia, VICSD can likely do a CT scan in seconds, without anesthesia. Just give us a call if you want to discuss a case.

CT Scanner Facts

• VICSD uses the most advanced 64 slice CT scanner
• Faster scan time allows for sedation only for most CT patients
• An animal that is stable enough for X-rays without anesthesia can likely have CT with only sedation

Check out VICSD’s YouTube Videos including  Feline CT with Virtual Rhinoscopy