An Interview with Dr. Frank

Dr. Paul Frank is a Board Certified Veterinary Radiologist, and has been with TVEC since September 2008. Recently we sat down for a conversation with Dr. Frank.

So, tell us, what exactly is a Veterinary Radiologist?

Well, the easiest answer is that I do the same job as a human Radiologist, I just work with different species. The long answer is that a Radiologist helps other veterinarians determine which imaging studies are most appropriate for their patients, helps acquire the images (in some cases), and interprets the images for the other veterinarians. We work with x-rays (radiology), ultrasound, MRI, CT (‘CAT scan’), and nuclear medicine as ways to image the patient. Each modality has its own pros and cons, and radiologists are trained to use them on all different types of species. The American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR) has a good website that explains this in more detail. Currently at TVEC, radiology and ultrasound are available in house, and MRI is available off-site.

Wow! I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as “specialists” in veterinary medicine, not to mention Veterinary Radiologists.

Yep, we exist! In reality there are only about 300 Board Certified Veterinary Radiologists in the ACVR (and not all of those are in this country). But there are also Internists, Surgeons, Dermatologists, Ophthalmologists, Oncologists, and on and on. If a medical procedure/test/therapy can be done for people, chances are it can be done for animals. And since many people these days are asking for the same quality of care for their pets as they get for themselves, it only makes sense that there are Veterinary Specialists to help provide that level of care.

When my pet gets x-rays made at my local veterinarian’s office, do they get interpreted by a Radiologist?

Probably not. Considering there are about 52,000 veterinarians who do some form of small animal practice in the USA, and only about 300 radiologists, it’s not really feasible for a Radiologist to review every case. And, General Practitioners are trained in proper ways of obtaining and interpreting x-rays, so it may not even be necessary in many cases. But for those cases that are challenging, or need a second opinion, a radiologist can be consulted. Just ask your veterinarian to submit the images to TVEC and they’ll usually get an answer the day the images arrive, with a written report to follow the next business day. Some veterinarians chose to submit all cases to a Radiologist, similar to the situation in human medicine, because they want the best possible care for their patients. And with the recent growth of the digital imaging in veterinary medicine, many vets can send their digital images to me via the internet (teleradiology), and get an answer sometimes in minutes!

What’s the most interesting species you’ve worked on in the past?

Probably the beluga whales. An aquarium asked me to help them get radiographs (x-rays) of their whales. It was quite an experience. My part was extremely limited, but watching the staff expertly pull-off this complicated procedure (they did much more than just get x-rays) was amazing. Of course, I had never seen any other beluga whale radiographs, so it was hard to really know what was ‘normal,’ but I think we helped the patient a great deal in any case. I’ve also worked with just about everything else imaginable. Birds, huge snakes, fish, lizards, ferrets, rats, all types of barnyard creatures. But my real passion is dogs and cats, and I’m fortunate to be able to really concentrate all of my energies on those two species here at TVEC.

Any interesting cases recently?

Really, people get into radiology for a variety of reasons, but one of the common things is that we like helping other veterinarians. It’s really rewarding to be able to help them make the pets feel better. So the recent case that sticks out in my mind isn’t really all that ‘amazing’ or ‘gee-whiz’, but it’s interesting to me. It was an 11-month-old Golden Retriever who was limping. The local veterinarian didn’t see anything on the x-rays and asked me for a second opinion. I was able to help them find that the pet had panosteitis, a relatively harmless and self-limiting, but painful, condition. As far as the ‘gee-whiz’ factor, it always comes down to ‘animals eat the craziest things.’ It's always fun to try and figure out how much the coinage in a stomach is worth, and I remember one cat that had a big stomach full of the owner’s hair bands. What are they thinking!?

Above, the original image showing a coin in the stomach.

Above, the same image, manipulated to show the details. It's a dime!

Kitty with a stomach full of hair ties/bands.

Thanks Dr. Frank!