Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Our MRI system allows scans of the equine foot and lower limb to be done in a standing position without general anaesthesia. This is extremely useful in diagnosing lameness caused by a problem inside the foot.

Only an MRI allows our vets to clearly distinguish between lesions in the bone, ligaments or tendons. Standing MRI is also useful for problems higher up the leg, and for monitoring the progress of injury recovery.B&W Equine Hospital has a low field (0.27 Tesla) permanent magnet MRI scanner (Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging System). This enables us to MRI scan the distal limbs (up to and including the knee and hock) in standing sedated horses, therefore avoiding the risks of a general anaesthetic. This provides us with a series of high quality images of areas of the limb that are otherwise difficult to see with other imaging modalities eg. within the hoof capsule and the region of the proximal suspensory ligament. It also provides us with information about the internal structure of bone and in many cases is more sensitive than radiographs.

MRI helps us to make a rapid and accurate diagnosis which enables better direction of treatments with potential for better outcomes in many cases. In addition to this, when used in appropriately selected cases, the use of MRI can save both time and money.

The MRI service is run by Becky Jones BVSc CertVR DVDI, MRVCS. Becky is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging and is responsible for reading and reporting all the MRI cases. This ensures a rapid reporting time as the images are not sent away to be reported by another Specialist.

We aim to provide a high standard of service to both referring vets and owners with the verbal communication of scan results as quickly as possible, following the scan, and a written report emailed/posted within 2 working days. A full set of images can also be provided to the referring vet if requested.

While we are happy to discuss the value of MRI for individual cases with owners we only accept cases for scanning if referred by a vet.