By Andrea Lin

If you weighed a thousand pounds or more and had lung disease, your doctor would have a hard time getting a look at the problem. That’s because imaging techniques have size limitations: radiographs (X rays) are limited by the beam penetration as well as by the types of views possible with large animals; ultrasound waves also can penetrate only to a certain depth; computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are limited by the size of the gantry (frame) and the weight-limit of the table.

Such is the fate of horses: many imaging modalities cannot accommodate their large size.

Luckily, however, foals with lung disease are small enough to fit comfortably within the gantry of a CT machine. Foals up to 2 weeks old weigh between 100 and 160 pounds, which is easily supported by the table