Diagnostic Imaging

Description of the field

The core of the subject of veterinary diagnostic imaging is the knowledge and understanding of diagnostic imaging methods and radiation protection used in research and clinical practice, which forms the basis for teaching in veterinary and veterianry nursing programs.

The methods are X-ray, transillumination, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and scintigraphy.

Current research

Diagnostic imaging expertise is an important part of the research conducted by researchers in several other disciplines, both within and outside SLU.

Today, research is mainly conducted on validating disease changes detected in images with reference techniques and extracting information from diagnostic images for research and clinical applications. This research is particularly focused on the musculoskeletal system of horses, dogs and cats – both in terms of normal appearance and the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Another ​​research area concerns investigating the possibilities and limitations of using Hounsfield units in computed tomography, specifically in whole-body images of cats, to classify tissues and identify tissue changes. In addition, the application of this information in other animal species and in artificial intelligence-based techniques for image analysis.

Previous research, which now continues to be conducted on a smaller scale, has been strongly rooted in the function of the circulation, including the functions of the kidneys.

In summary, the research can be described as focused on method validation for different imaging modalities and data/information collection using these modalities.