Question 5
When veterinarians need help in assessing a horse's health problem, they can turn to a battery of sophisticated diagnostic tools adapted from human medicine. Can you name the diagnostic imaging procedures described below?
1. Reveals the size and shape of dense internal structures, primarily bone: Radiation passing through the structures varies according to tissue density, producing film images ranging from black to light gray.
2. Detects areas of inflammation or necrosis in bone and soft tissue: Radioactive material injected into the body collects in "hot" spots of increased circulation or bypasses areas of decreased circulation, which become apparent in images taken by a special gamma camera.
3. Useful for imaging most body tissues, from bone to internal organs or fetuses: The echoes produced by sound waves as they bounce off or pass through internal structures are the basis of still or moving images.
4. Pinpoints areas of increased or decreased circulation in surface tissues: A special camera measures the amount of heat radiating off the body surface as a means of identifying areas of inflammation and necrosis.
5. Provides up-close, real-time views of internal structures: A tiny camera at the end of a fiber-optic tube is inserted into a natural or surgical body opening to relay images to an external eyepiece or monitor. It is as useful in surgery as for diagnostics.
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