Imaging Center Remodeling 
$1.5 million

To better serve its clients and patients, the UW Veterinary Care Teaching Hospital is working towards upgrading its CT and MRI units. As part of a newly remodeled work area, the new Imaging Center will be organized around a central control room that will support large and small animals in both the MRI and CT units. The area will be expanded to accommodate a multi-slice computed tomography (CT) machine and a high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. This design will provide a coherent alternative to current facilities that are congested and fragmented. For example, companion animals are presently escorted to an outside trailer for their MRI, a unit that is not accessible for horses or other large animals. The CT scanner, located in another area of the hospital, only performs basic CT functions and is not designed to accommodate large animals.

The Imaging Center will take several years to complete, with renovations beginning when the UW School of Veterinary Medicine raises an initial $1 million toward the final project cost of $3 million to $5 million. The project will include several phases to ensure continuous operation and minimal disruption to services. In our effort to remain one of the best imaging centers in the country, the teaching hospital needs to replace or purchase several pieces of radiology equipment.

State-of-the-art PET/ CT Scanner
$1 million

Computed tomography (CT) is a diagnostic procedure that uses special x-ray equipment to obtain cross-sectional images of the body. The CT computer displays these detailed images of the tissues of all body regions, removing superimposition. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technique that creates a three-dimensional picture of processes within the body. A PET-CT machine combines both devices in a single system so that images can be taken from the patient sequentially, during the same session, and then combined into a single image. This system is more expensive, but it serves as two devices in one because it can provide both functions as stand-alone examinations. Among the advantages it provides are greater precision and shorter scanning sessions. These imaging techniques can be used to

• Detect or confirm the presence of a tumor
• Guide biopsies
• Help plan radiation therapy or surgical treatment and monitor response to treatment
• Ascertain damage to internal organs, such as the kidneys, liver, and spleen, after an accident
• Help diagnose problems with blood vessels and the heart
• Look for damage to bones, cartilage, muscles, tendons, and joints
• Check for bleeding in the brain after a head injury

State-of-the-art MRI
$1.5 million

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) helps diagnose many medical conditions. MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radiofrequency pulses, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bones, vessels, and virtually all other internal body structures. These detailed images allow radiologists to better evaluate and determine the presence of certain diseases that may not be assessed adequately with other imaging methods, including CT.

MRI examinations help diagnose or monitor treatment for the following conditions:

• Disease of the brain and spinal cord
• Tumors of the chest, abdomen, or pelvis
• Certain types of heart disease
• Blockages, enlargements, or anatomical variants of blood vessels
• Diseases of the liver and other abdominal organs
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
• Cysts and solid tumors in the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract
• Tumors and other abnormalities of the reproductive organs