Introduction
Accessible Advanced Imaging
Offering advanced imaging to your patients needn’t be a headache. We’ve developed unique products and commercial models to address the cost and complexity of installing MRIs into veterinary hospitals. We’ve been doing it for over two decades and have completed over 140 successful MRI installations worldwide.
With MIRA – our zero-helium small animal 1.5T MRI – you get superb image quality with a machine designed specifically for animal anatomy.
Features
Features & Benefits
NO helium, NO quench pipe, NO oxygen monitor required
Reduce the upfront and ongoing costs of offering an MRI service in your practice.
Veterinary software and protocols
Included. You don’t have to rely on outsourcing to develop protocols or use sequences designed for humans.
Veterinary-specific coils
With an over-sized v-shaped spine coil (91 cm) and elongated head coils with removable tops, signal is increased by 20% while allowing better patient access.
Affordable
Capped monthly payments help standardise and stabilise your overall cost of ownership and reduce the operational risks of implementing an MRI service.
99% uptime guarantee
Decrease costs, avoid wasted time and increase customer satisfaction with our 99% uptime guarantee as standard.
Unique self-shielded hatch
Our built in RF shield means no upfront capital expenditure on expensive room updates. In addition, this unique feature allows free access to your MRI room with video monitoring to increase patient safety.
Dual coil functionality
Our dual coil system provides a significant boost in signal intensity across larger body regions allowing fast scan times and pristine images of exceptional diagnostic quality.
Q-Care Support from a world-class team
From initial enquiry through to system installation and beyond, you’ll receive unparalleled support from a team dedicated to the veterinary profession.
“Hallmarq is a one stop shop. I didn’t need to worry about finding a buyer of a used magnet on the secondary market, find an installer, and find someone to maintain the machine; Hallmarq produces, delivers, installs, and maintains the equipment and software used to run the equipment.”
Dr. Adam Moeser, Wisconsin Veterinary Neurology and Surgical Center
We offer a veterinary-specific solution designed to address the cost, complexity, and commitment of providing small animal 1.5T MRI
Details
Clinical Uses
Spinal cord disease
Including spinal cord neoplasia, intervertebral disc disease, wobbler’s disease and lumbosacral disease, atlanto-axial subluxation, ischemic myelopathy, nerve root compression and discospondylitis.
Brain disease
Including, but not limited to neoplasia, cerebrovascular events, hydrocephalus and inflammatory brain disease.
Skull and surrounding soft tissues
The only modality able to completely assess otitis externa-media-interna, including assessment of associated cranial nerves, cochlea and semi-circular canals along with the adjacent brainstem. Nasal and orbital disease can also be clearly assessed.
Cranial and vertebral anomalies and genetic malformation screening
Assessment of congenital anomalies including vertebral malformations, Chiari-like malformation, and syringomyelia screening in pre-disposed breeds.
Stifle disease
Superior soft tissue imaging for assessment of cranial cruciate ligaments, meniscal injuries and muscular disease.
Shoulder disease
Superior soft tissue imaging for assessment of biceps and supraspinatus tendon pathology, joint capsule, brachial plexus disease and muscular disease.
Thoracic and abdominal disease
Complementary to ultrasound and computed tomography, soft tissue diseases affecting the lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and major vessels can be accurately assessed with MRI.
Epilepsy screening
Confirmation of idiopathic epilepsy requires an imaging investigation to rule out structural causes, toxicities and metabolic diseases. If an MRI of the brain is considered normal, when accompanied by a normal CSF analysis, the cause of seizures is compatible with an idiopathic disease.
“I worked with a 1.5T Siemens and GE machines prior to the Hallmarq unit. Comparing these machines of the same magnet size the Hallmarq machine creates images that are by far superior in quality and clarity which I have always attributed to some degree to the veterinary specific coils.”
Dana Gietzen, Las Vegas Veterinary Speciality Center
Detailed imaging
Clinical Case Gallery
Specifically designed to image small animals, MIRA – our small animal 1.5T MRI machine with zero-helium design – captures superb images for a more accurate diagnosis.
- 16-channel, self-shielded design: an array of veterinary-optimised RF coils help to properly position the patient.
- Enhanced RF coil coverage: for superior image quality when compared to equivalent human-optimised RF coils.
- Extended V-shaped phased array spine coil: used in combination with our 8-channel flexible coil, increases scan coverage for larger breeds, enhancing image quality for difficult-to-scan regions, such as the brachial plexus.
- Veterinary optimised MRI software: superb high-resolution detail including pre-saturation, fat suppression, blood flow compensation, single-shot fast spin echo, intensity correction and diffusion imaging with automatic ADC maps.
For real clinical examples from some of our installed scanners, click to browse…
Details
Technical Specifications
This outlines some of the high-level technical specifications and considerations in planning for the installation of MIRA – the Hallmarq zero-helium small animal 1.5T MRI machine. Please consult the Site Planning Guide for additional details.
| Key features | |
|---|---|
| Field System | State-of-the-art veterinary specific 1.5T high field system |
| Spine coil | V-shaped spine coil for 20-percent better signal to noise ratio |
| Image protocols | Veterinary image protocols designed by MRI experts |
| Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Field strength | 1.5T |
| Channels | 16 |
| Energy efficiency | Up to 25% more energy efficient compared to used MRIs |
| Bore diameter | 60 cm patient bore diameter |
“Hallmarq’s ability to use different coils and positioning to capture images is probably unparalleled.”
Dr. Billy Pullen, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) Veterinary Care & Speciality Group, Chattanooga, TN
“I expect to see our caseload grow tremendously as word gets out about our neurology service and MRI capabilities.”
Dr. Baye Williamson, DVM, DACVIM Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center (VERC), Oahu, Hawaii
“Hallmarq’s 1.5T high-field magnet with its own shielding is revolutionary. It provides us with a lot more flexibility to look at our patients in greater detail.”
Dr. Christiane Massicotte, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Neurology) Veterinary Care & Speciality Group, Chattanooga, TN
“I worked with a 1.5T Siemens and GE machines prior to the Hallmarq unit. Comparing these machines of the same magnet size, Hallmarq’s machine creates images that are by far superior in quality and clarity which I have always attributed, to some degree, to the veterinary specific coils.”
Dr. Dana Gietzen, DVM Las Vegas Veterinary Speciality Center
“The addition of the Hallmarq MRI significantly improves our ability to diagnose and treat pets with brain and spinal cord abnormalities.”
Dr. Erika Sox, DVM, DACVIM Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center (VERC), Oahu, Hawaii
“I regularly review brain MRIs from other referral hospitals for second opinions. I’m very impressed with the quality of our Hallmarq MRI images relative to traditional used high-field MRIs. The clarity of our images strengthens our confidence in central nervous system disease diagnosis.”
Dr. Cody Alcott, DACVIM Tucson Veterinary Specialists, Tucson, AZ
“Hallmarq’s 1.5T MRI is designed specifically for small animal anatomy and delivers accurate and detailed images with great image resolution and contrast. The essential safety features and operator friendly software make it an asset to any veterinary neurologist.”
Dr. Franziska Fitz, DVM, GPCertSAS, DACVIM (Neurology/Neurosurgery) Las Vegas Veterinary Speciality Center
“At VCSG, we are very pleased with the image quality our Hallmarq MRI equipment provides. It has allowed us to give more specific diagnoses and state of the art treatment recommendations for our patients. The technical support from Hallmarq is also excellent.”
Dr. Massicotte, DVM, MS, PHD, DACVIM (Neurology) Veterinary Care & Speciality Group, Chattanooga, TN
“Hallmarq’s 1.5T MRI produces some of the best image quality I have encountered in veterinary neurology. This superior quality allows me to diagnose and treat my patients with confidence and provides me information to reach the best possible outcomes for the pets and their families.”
Dr. Kelli Mossine, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)
“I am a new entrepreneur, and the start-up costs for a veterinary neurologist were proving to be a major obstacle. Hallmarq’s leasing program allowed me the financial flexibility that I needed to get my company off the ground and invest in other areas of my company.”
Dr Adam Moeser DVM DACVIM (Neurology) Wisconsin Veterinary Neurology and Surgical Center
FAQs
- Is high-field MRI expensive?
- Can I speak to an end-user?
- How much space should I allocate?
- How good is Hallmarq’s zero-helium Small Animal 1.5T MRI image quality?
- What is the uptime percent of the Hallmarq zero-helium Small Animal 1.5T system?
- Is this simply a refurbished human magnet?
- We’ve decided on your zero-helium small animal 1.5T MRI machine. How long do we wait before scanning our first patient?
The total cost of ownership is less than you may expect. With Hallmarq’s zero-helium small animal 1.5T MRI, you can either buy the system outright or rent using our unique Imaging-as-a-Service (IaaS) model. With our built-in RF shield, there is no need for a purpose-built shielded room; upfront capital expenditure is kept to a minimum and there is NO helium required. We’ve designed the system, from the ground up, to save on energy and our comprehensive Q-Care support programme even includes software updates. Labour costs may also be minimised as the system is designed to be operated by a veterinary technician or nurse rather than a dedicated MRI Technologist.
Q-Care
We are your trusted partner for advanced veterinary imaging.
Providing high quality images is just the beginning. We’re here to help optimise your imaging service – from initial enquiry through installation and beyond. We guarantee support along your imaging journey, with an unrivalled program designed to add value to your practice.