Is it veterinary radiology or veterinary diagnostic imaging?
When our specialty first started, the major technique available was the x-ray. It used radiation to produce images of the body that saw “inside” the animal in a way never experienced before. Radiographs, or x-rays of our pets give lots of important information about many different diseases, and so the specialty was named. In the last 20 years, other technologies have allowed us to see inside the animal in different ways. Ultrasound uses sound waves, magnetic resonance imaging (MR) uses the spin of hydrogen atoms, and computed tomography (CT) uses x-rays analyzed by a computer. All of these techniques have expanded the options we have for “looking on the inside”. Proper application of these imaging techniques and interpreting the results require an advanced appreciation of physics and the radiological appearance of disease. Knowledge of disease processes in veterinary medicine has been supported and advanced by these new technologies, so there is a trend to call our specialty “Veterinar
