Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) has announced that they are now able to offer high field MRI service for horses. A mobile high field MRI is scheduled to the clinic in Leesburg, Va., about once a month, according to a report on the EMC website. The high field MRI will be offered in addition to the low field MRI already offered by the clinic.

High field MRIs provide veterinarians with a higher resolution image needed to diagnose certain problems. Unlike low field MRIs that are performed in a standing horse, general anesthesia is required for high field MRIs to aid in capturing the higher quality image. Additionally, high field MRIs provide the opportunity for examining areas that are difficult (or impossible) to image in a standing horse, such as the upper portions of the limbs.

High field MRIs at the EMC will be performed on an outpatient basis, and the total cost for the procedure is around $2,400.

The tentative schedule for when the high field MRI will be available and more information can be found on the EMC website