Owners of pets with brain tumors now have some good news because of developments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine.
Veterinary neurologists at the school's teaching hospital are offering a new technique to pinpoint the source of the problem without using invasive brain surgery.
Using computer-guided images, vets now can determine exactly where to insert a biopsy needle for a sample of the lesion in an animal.
That's much safer for the animal than opening the brain surgically to get samples, said Dr. Filippo Adamo, who developed the technique.
A guided needle can get to places that a scalpel can't, especially when the lesion is deep in the cranial structure.
"Brain surgery of course requires general anesthesia," which poses some dangers, Adamo said. "And there's all the risk involved in making a big opening in the brain."
The new method is used in only a few pet hospitals around the country.
The process of using computer-guided images, known as CT scans, is common in human medicine. But it lagged in animal care because of the cost of $20,000 per procedure in the past.
The technique had to wait until veterinarians could devise cheaper means to construct the frame that holds the needle and connects to the imaging machine.
With the new technique, the procedure now costs about $1,200, Adamo said. The tests that decide whether a lesion is present cost another $1,800.
It's been done four times at UW-Madison's vet school hospital so far.
The doctor said the new method helps vets obtain a definite diagnosis before starting to cure the brain tumor.
The procedure can be used on both cats and dogs.
___
Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com
