Lin, C.-H., Lo, P.-Y. 2018. Simple technique for aiding thoracic CT scanning of cats without general anaesthesia. Veterinary Record 182(7), 1-3.

Thoracic CT can provide additional diagnostic information in comparison to thoracic radiography for animals with respiratory diseases; however, the requirement of general anaesthesia can be of risk and may not be possible in cats with respiratory distress. The concept of applying conscious CT scanning in small animal patients was first attempted with a positioning device (VetMouseTrap); nevertheless, individual cats may still move around inside the containing chamber of the positioning device, leading to multiple repeated scans or failure in CT scanning without general anaesthesia. The purpose of this preliminary study was to describe a simple alternative technique for aiding in thoracic CT scanning without general anaesthesia and without causing evident stress. For each CT scan, a roll of 1.2-mm thick transparent plastic padding was spread out on the CT table. The cat was placed in a coiled plastic pad in sternal recumbency. The transparent plastic roll allowed the cats to be observed visually throughout the scanning process. Among the 21 cats, thoracic CT scanning was successfully performed in 19 without general anaesthesia. None of these 19 cats had to receive repeated scanning due to body movement. Except for the first healthy cat, all diseased cats were given light sedation (buprenorphine, 0.01–0.03 mg/kg intramuscular, intravenous or transmucosal). There were no complications associated with the present procedure.