Carolina Veterinary Specialists Introduces MRI for Animal Care

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the gold standard for medical imaging in the human world, is now available for animal patients in the Carolinas.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) August 17, 2004 -- Carolina Veterinary Specialists (CVS) announced today the opening of an MRI service to provide state-of-the-art diagnostic care for Charlotte and Greensboro area pets. Through its partnership with AVIC, a veterinary imaging services provider, CVS is the first private, multi-specialty veterinary practice in the Carolinas to offer on-site MRI services.

"MRI has proven to be incredibly valuable to humans, and now, this technology will help us diagnose pets in a non-invasive manner. CVS is proud to be the first private multi-specialty veterinary hospital in the state, and one of very few to offer an on-site MRI facility dedicated to animal use," says Dr. Bob Bergman, CVSs Charlotte-based neurologist. Additionally, MRI will provide us with a diagnostic tool designed to help identify and make treatment recommendations of multiple health conditions more timely."

CVS has been a leading veterinary practice in North Carolina since 1998 and we are proud to be helping them deliver cutting edge imaging technologies to benefit their patients", said AVIC managing partner Bob Fuller. The practice was founded to assist the region's veterinarians in the diagnosis and treatment of complex medical and surgical diseases of companion animals. In addition to MRI services, CVS provides a comprehensive array of other state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technology including: Computed Tomography (CT), Ultrasound, and X-ray. Since these services are designed to assist local area veterinarians with the more complicated cases that often require advanced diagnostic tools, pet owners must rely on a referral from their family veterinarian to take advantage of them.

Dr. Todd Skeen, the neurologist at the Greensboro CVS location states, "MRI will provide us with the ability to collect better information in complex cases especially cancers, brain and spinal disorders and neurological problems. In cancer, for example, MRI helps identify the stage of cancer so we are better able to determine the right treatment plan for the animal."

What is MRI?
MRI, which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is a way of using a magnetic field and radio waves to create accurate detailed images of internal body structures. Its how MRI works that makes it so safe because it uses radio waves and magnet fields which naturally surround us at all times.

An MRI scanner consists of a large and very strong magnet in which the patient lies. A radio wave antenna is used to send signals to the body and then receive signals back. These returning signals are converted into pictures by a computer attached to the scanner. Pictures of almost any part of a pets body can be obtained at almost any particular angle.

About CVS
Carolina Veterinary Specialists is a group of 24-hour specialty and emergency hospitals serving North Carolina, upstate South Carolina and south central Virginia with state-of-the-art facilities located in Charlotte, Greensboro and Huntersville, North Carolina. CVS offers specialized care surgery, neurosurgery, internal medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, neurology, radiology, avian and exotics medicine, behavior and emergency medicine. CVSs emergency services operate after-hours, weekends and holidays, when the family vet is typically closed. All of CVSs non-emergency specialty services require a referral from a family vet.

About AVIC
AVIC is a provider of advanced veterinary imaging technologies with headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Media Contacts:
Marcelo Markiz, Hospital Director, Charlotte, 704-504-9608
Beth Boehler, Hospital Director, Greensboro, 336-632-0605
Bob Fuller, AVIC 919-606-6371

# # #