As part of our Q-Care Program, delivering regular Image Quality (IQ) reports to Hallmarq customers is paramount. Aimed at helping image readers to deliver better diagnoses, it also helps MRI operators to achieve better images for them to work with.

Practise Makes Perfect

As with anything in life, practise makes perfect. We are all human and best practise can sometimes get overlooked when time is short, and demands are high. Achieving the best possible quality when acquiring MRI images is no different. Sometimes, bad habits will prevail despite the best intentions. Invariably, this will impact diagnosis for the standing sedated equine patient. In addition, poor image quality affects what your chosen image reader is able to tell about a study. The result is the possibility of misdiagnosis or the need for a repeat scan.

We are the Image Police!

As scary as that might sound, we’re watching out for you for a reason. We care about quality and about the horse getting the best course of treatment it can. This is only made possible with good diagnostic images which Hallmarq’s dedicated in-house training team can help you achieve.

After seventeen years with Hallmarq, there’s probably not a customer site that hasn’t met Specialist Account Manager Dan Mountifield. He and his fellow Account Managers have a wealth of experience and their extensive knowledge helps operators obtain the best possible images from our Standing Equine MRI and Standing Equine Leg CT systems. Dan explains:

“Our chief objective is to train our MRI operators to scan a horse as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible, in order to give the clinician the best chance of accurately diagnosing any pathology, in order that the horse can benefit from the most appropriate course of action, for the best outcome.”

Dan Mountifield, Specialist Account Manager, UK & ROW territories, Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging

Or as CTO Dr. Steve Roberts puts it:

“Quite simply, image quality is King!”

Dr. Steve Roberts, CTO, Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging

Back to Basics

It seems our customers would agree! Dr. Frederik Pauwels DVM, CertVA, DipACVS, DipECVDI (LA), American Specialist in Equine Surgery, European Specialist in Veterinary Diagnostic imaging, reads images for Hallmarq customer The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Dr. Pauwels is keen to stress the importance of getting back to basics when scanning a horse in the magnet:

“There is no substitute for the basics! Careful positioning, as simple as it is, will benefit the image quality a lot more than postprocessing. I would urge everybody to keep paying attention to these basics. It makes my life a lot easier and more importantly increases quality of diagnosis significantly.”

Dr. Frederik Pauwels

We agree; getting back to basics is a topic close to our hearts. In a recent blog post entitled MRI protocol revisited, we cover the all-important steps when preparing the patient for an equine MR scan. If horse, owner, vet, and radiologist are well prepared, the rest will follow.

If you are a Hallmarq equine customer site and want to take advantage of our unique IQ reporting, get in touch with us at email hidden; JavaScript is required