Veterinary CT Imaging: 16 Slice vs. 64 Slice

Veterinary CT Imaging: 16 Slice or 64 Slice CT?

There are several great options for CT imaging in veterinary medicine. The most commonly seen types of scanners today are the 16 slice and the 64 slice. While comparing equipment is often like comparing apples to oranges, for our intents, today we compare the Siemens SOMATOM go.Now 16 and the Siemens SOMATOM go.Now 64.  Both scanners offer the same resolution and options when it comes to studies and reconstructive imaging. One simply takes seconds versus minutes to complete a scan. Each has advantages over the other in terms of image acquisition times and expenses.

Veterinary Market 16 slice Pros:

• Smaller site footprint than the 64
• 35% less purchase cost compared to the 64
• 20% less service cost compared to the 64
• Diagnostically equivalent to the 64 for the majority of cases

Veterinary Market 64 slice Pros:

• Perform cardiac studies
• 75% faster scan times to achieve comparable diagnostic quality compared to the 16 slice
• Shorter scan times allow for sedation as opposed to anesthesia for emergency cases
• Thinner slices?

Now, let’s break them down by practice type. There are three main types of veterinary practice that could reasonably utilize a CT at a profit:

1. “Tweener” Veterinary Hospitals“
2. Niche Specialty Hospitals
3. Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Centers

CT in “Tweener” Veterinary Practice

The “Tweener” veterinary hospital is probably the most complex. This category includes a varying group of general veterinary practice hospitals, which may also provide one or two additional specialties, but almost always includes an emergency option. The emergency department is not the main source of income for these hospitals. Because of this, we assume the patient load which would require a CT to be rather low.  As a result, patient load is less of a concern. For this hospital a 16 slice CT is more than adequate.

CT in “Niche” Veterinary Practice

The Niche Veterinary Specialists is often an orthopedic or an internal medicine practice. These practices are scanning for non-emergency illnesses or conditions. Because the diagnostic quality of the 16 is nearly identical to that of the 64, this hospital would struggle to justify the additional cost of the 64 slice CT.  The only exception would be if this practice were a Cardiologist. Cardiologists may justify a 64 with specialized software which allows ……

 CT in Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospitals

Our third veterinary hospital category is the large Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center. This practice has multiple specialities which share the CT and all contribute to its overall volume, use, and revenue. Emergency may desire faster scanning for the overall wellness of their patients should they be concerned that two anesthesias would put these patients at risk. This practice may possess a cardiology department or internal medicine department looking to acquire excellent diagnostic images from the 64 slice by stooping heart and abdominal motion. They may also have a volume concern. If a practice’s patient load is maxing out the 16 slice scanner the practice may need to upgrade to equipment that can keep up with their patient load. In this case a 64 slice CT is a great fit. This practice requires super fast scanning for medical purposes and revenue generation.

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