Case Study: Wellington Zoo Animal Hospital with Agfa DX-D 30C Retrofit

The Nest Te Kōhanga animal hospital at Wellington Zoo, New Zealand, cares for both zoo animals and native wildlife. After testing several other DR systems, the hospital chose the portable DX-D 30C Retrofit solution with a cesium iodide detector through Cass Medical, the local Agfa HealthCare partner.

Highlights

• Fast imaging to shorten the time animals spend under anesthesia
• Sufficient detail of bone structure and organs, from a ten-gram silvereye bird to a 200 kg lion
• Accurate diagnosis of chest and shoulder injuries in wild birds, and of metal particles such as lead in the digestive tract of Kākā parrots
• Immediate image review and repositioning, with better images and shorter anesthesia time
• Portability for imaging in the animal's enclosure, for example a giraffe's hoof
• Digital images sent to external specialists for a second opinion

Description

The Nest Te Kōhanga opened in 2009 and has seven rehabilitation rooms, a saltwater pool and equipment including digital radiology, a dental unit, ultrasound and endoscopy. Before that, the zoo's CR cassettes were taken to an external imaging center for processing, and an animal sometimes had to stay under anesthesia until the image was confirmed.

Patient sizes range from a 3-inch reptile to a 200 kg lion. The number of wild animals treated grew from 155 in 2010 to 478 in 2015, and on busy days three to five patients are imaged. According to Dr. Baukje Lenting, senior veterinarian, the speed and ease of use of DR have greatly helped the clinic's workflow.

Solution used

• DR Retrofit with all the workflow and image quality benefits of DR
• Very fast imaging and workflow
• Cesium iodide detectors with excellent image quality
• MUSICA processing with clear detail for very small and very large animals
• Portable, simple to use and to learn