First standing CT scanner installed at Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery
October 11, 2022
Weatherford, TX
Quarter horse receiving a hind limb scan with the Equina standing CT scanner.
One of the leading private equine practices in Texas, Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery (ESMS), has installed the first equine standing CT (Computed Tomography) scanner in the state. ESMS, which has one of the highest volumes of equine cases in the United States, is excited to add the Asto CT Equina® scanner to their full-service suite of equine veterinary services to improve patient outcomes and welfare.
ESMS Veterinarian, Dr Chad Marsh, reflects on the technology’s importance “Having a standing CT scanner onsite at ESMS greatly enhances our diagnostic imaging capabilities and provides a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional CT scanners which typically require horses to be placed under general anesthesia. Whether using it for prepurchase exams, imaging complex lameness issues, or diagnosing neck or head issues, having a CT Scanner right here at the hospital will allow us to better diagnose and treat patients that before would have been referred somewhere else for advanced imaging. We are happy to partner with Asto CT to bring this cutting-edge technology to horse owners throughout Texas.”
Axial fracture of proximal MTIV of right rear limb of a 2yr-old Quarter horse; undetectable by radiograph.
Standing CT technology has changed the face of screening and diagnostics in equine medicine. Safe, quick, high-quality scans have made this modality an accessible and effective tool for diagnosing pathology that cannot be detected on radiographs (image 1). The Asto CT Equina® scanner is currently being used by Racing Victoria in Australia to screen all horses entered into the Melbourne Cup, prior to them running to assist in early detection of potentially catastrophic injuries.
ESMS services a high volume of western sport horses including running quarter horses, rodeo, and show horses. The installation of the Equina CT Scanner stands to provide owners with more information and improve the overall welfare of horses. Not limited just to sport horses, the Equina has beneficial uses to all equines, for head, neck and lower limb diagnostics. Indeed, one of the first patients of ESMS’s new scanner was a famous hunter jumper. The patient’s scan was completed in just 10 minutes from sedation to completed scan.
CEO of ESMS, Kirk Eddleman, comments, “This new CT scanner gives our own experienced team another powerful tool to use right here on site, offering clients peace of mind and helping to improve the quality of life for our equine patients. We are proud to be the first and only clinic in the state of Texas to have a standing CT scanner, and we encourage our colleagues at other practices to send in their cases and take advantage of this technology.”
Asto CT CEO, David Ergun, expresses his delight at ESMS adding the Equina scanner to their services, “We are excited to see this groundbreaking imaging technology move into such a high-volume veterinary practice. Several academic centres are already using the Equina, and it is great to see it in private practice as well. We know our scanner will be a valuable tool for the veterinarians at the clinic and it will benefit their many numerous patients. We’re looking forward to the future, as we install the Equina in clinics around the world.”
ESMS is welcoming patients to be scanned at their Weatherford clinic starting in November. More information can be found at https://www.equinesportsmedicine.com/. For more information on the Asto CT Equina visit https://www.astoct.com/equina.
About Asto CT
Asto CT® was founded in 2015 as a result of a research collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) School of Veterinary Medicine and the Morgridge Institute for Research.
Our team has a combined 100+ years of experience with deep expertise in medical product development and hands-on veterinary care. Our patented approach allows imaging of lower limbs and of the head and neck of a sedated horse in the standing position.
Asto CT was founded on the principle of offering safe, high-quality CT imaging to improve quality of life for horses and ensure peace of mind for owners. Our state-of-the-art equine CT scanner is customised to meet the needs of horses in a safe and comfortable environment for the animal.
More information can be found at www.astoct.com
