On Dec. 16., the Equine Hospital at Helen Woodward Animal Center added high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI to its lineup of services available to Southern California’s equine community. The new service is offered in partnership with MREquine and Equine Surgical Services and is a mobile MRI suite that will be available at Helen Woodward Equine Hospital on an as-needed basis. This is the first time this technology has been available to horses in the San Diego area.

"This is really exciting," said Christen Hanley, director of the Equine Hospital at Helen Woodward Animal Center. "This is the new up and coming diagnostic tool for horses. We have wanted to offer high field MRI services for a long time and MR Equine has made it possible for us to do it without having to purchase several million dollars worth of equipment. This is a fantastic service to be able to offer our clients."

Until now low-field standing MRIs (.2 teslas) have been the only option available for horses in San Diego County. The imaging available through MREquine utilizes a high-field (1.5 Tesla) image similar to the standard MRI used in human hospitals. The high field MRI has a greater imaging area than low field imaging, offering the most definitive bone and soft tissue examination and images available.