Scintigraphy may be useful for which patient condition?

• A. A dog with hip dysplasia
• B. A horse with colic
• C. A rabbit with dental disease
• D. A cat with hyperthyroidism

Answer: (D)

Scintigraphy is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive tracers to assess how tissues are working, not just how they look. In cats, it’s particularly helpful for thyroid disorders because the thyroid tissue will take up the tracer. This lets you confirm hyperthyroidism, see whether the disease involves one or both glands, and locate all active thyroid tissue. That information is especially useful for planning treatment such as radioiodine therapy or surgical removal. The other conditions listed are typically evaluated with structural imaging or clinical assessment rather than scintigraphy, so this modality is not indicated for hip dysplasia, equine colic, or rabbit dental disease.