Veterinary Services

Pet Radiology in Forest Hills, NY

Radiology encompasses several diagnostic imaging techniques, including X-Rays and Ultrasounds. X-Rays can be performed immediately with our new state-of-the-art digital radiology system. Ultrasound is a specialty service that is performed on-site by experts on call.

X-Rays

Our most commonly used imaging technique is the X-Ray. Radiographs or X-Rays provide us with great detail about many of the internal organs. Some of the mostly commonly radiographed organs are the lungs, kidneys, bladder, heart, colon, etc. The one major drawback of x-rays is that, most often, a pet has to be anesthetized for this procedure. If a pet moves while an x-ray is being taken, we usually end up with a blurry image and no useful information obtained. Therefore, unless a pet is actually ill or very compliant (laying in various positions and not moving), general anesthesia is required for x-rays to be taken. New advances in X-Ray technology, like the Digital X-Ray, make the process of taking X-rays a lot more streamlined. The process of taking the digital radiograph is faster, meaning that less anesthesia is needed. Furthermore, the speed at which a Digital X-Ray machine produces a usable diagnostic image enables us to act upon this newly obtained information faster.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is another commonly used imaging technique. It involves using a probe to bounce sound waves off your pet’s organs and then having a computer create an image of the organ examined. Ultrasound is the method of choice for imaging the heart. Great detail can be obtained by ultrasound about the functioning of the heart, especially the valves and the muscles of the heart. Ultrasound can also give us an overview of all the organs in the abdomen, including the: stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, etc. One of the great advantages of ultrasound is that anesthesia is not necessary. All that is needed to prepare your pet for ultrasound is to shave the hair around the area that is being examined.

a veterinarian examines a cat