Case Study: Clinica della Brughiera, Italy, Equine Imaging with Agfa DR and CR (2021 Edition)

Dr. Alessandro Centinaio, an equine orthopedic specialist and owner of Clinica della Brughiera in Italy, worked with the Italian federation for 12 years and has been team veterinarian at four Olympic Games and four World Equestrian Games. He uses Agfa DR and CR systems at his clinic and in the Mobile Clinics at Longines Global Champions Tour events.

Highlights

• About 90% of images in mobile work are taken with DR, almost instantly and without the need to sedate the horse
• With DR, the time for a set of 24 pre-purchase images dropped from 1 hour to 20 minutes
• CR with a mobile generator is the better choice for an injured horse that should not be moved
• No feedback has been received about poor quality of Agfa DR or CR images
• MUSICA processing delivers more natural borders and artefact-free images
• In his view, the DR system is sufficient for the work in the field

Description

In 2021 Dr. Centinaio served as a supervisor at the Tokyo Olympics, and he is now one of the official veterinarians of the World Equestrian Games. His role at competitions is to monitor the welfare and safety of the horses. His two Mobile Clinics are equipped with a blood laboratory, ultrasound and Agfa X-ray systems.

The navicular bone image is the most important image in evaluating a horse, because navicular syndrome can cause chronic lameness. He stresses that the monitor, the plates and the processing software, together with the hardware, all contribute to the final image quality.

Solutions used

• Mobile DR based on the DX-D 45C, 10 x 12" (24 x 30 cm), with cesium iodide detector, AED and wireless transfer
• Notebook with MUSICA workstation software in a rugged carrying case
• CR 15-X digitizer used with a mobile generator
• MUSICA processing dedicated to large animals, with parameters applied automatically