Robotic scan for horses could hold promise for human health

(AP) — Veterinarians hope an innovative type of CT scan can advance medical care for horses and possibly be adapted for humans, eliminating the need for people to lie still inside a tube.

Robotic CT at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school allows a horse to remain awake and standing as scanners on two mechanical arms move around it.

The resulting high-quality images, including some in 3D, for the first time offer detailed anatomical views of the animal in its normal, upright state.

Robotic CT "is much less stressful," said Dr. Barbara Dallap Schaer, medical director of Penn Vet's New Bolton Center.

First unveiled at Penn last spring, 4DDI now has orders for more than a dozen units at equine facilities around the world, according to CEO Yiorgos Papaioannou.

At Penn, the large white robotic arms are installed at a barn at New Bolton Center, the vet school's hospital for large animals in the Philadelphia exurb of Kennett Square.