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Vets had been impressed with the speed with which the system was installed and commissioned on-site, and the minimal downtime they experienced.

With DICOM images integrated into animal histories, diagnostic work has become much more straightforward. When viewing an animal record, reports, prescribed products, lab tests and diagnostic images can all be accessed quickly and easily in one location.

He has chosen to work with opthalmologist, Paul Meyer, at Addenbrookes Hospital to improve stablisation when imaging micro-vascular circulation through the transparent conjunctiva of patients attending the clinic. The technique is capable of resolving individual red blood cells and is the first step towards the determination of an accurate vessel map and a robust classification of the vascular hierarchy. These are essential before the blood flow itself can be properly analysed but stabilisation is a major problem, as Paul explains:

"Microscopic observations on human subjects are always confounded by movement artefact. Furthermore, when a subject attempts to fix his/her gaze on a target, their eyes are not immobilised, but make continual small excursions."

Such movements of the microscopic field must be stilled before analysis of the structures within it and Jarda's research may contribute to resolving the issue with further software improvements.

The iPhone app, developed jointly with fellow Cambridge company, nfonix, provided detailed information about lectures, speakers, times and venues, enabling Congress members to create a personal schedule for the events they were most keen to catch.

If you have ideas for the Congress app next year, please feel free to feed them back to us via BEVA, or by using the enquiry form on the Contact Us page of this site?

We would also like to thank CrashPlan Pro, the backup software guys who produce systems able to back up any size installation, from the smallest PC or Mac you use at home to the largest business data centre – and everything in between, for their valuable support.

Bruce Bladon expanded the theme with a masterclass on the development of Dicom standards and their relevance to modern veterinary practice. At O'Gorman, Slater, Main and Partners, vets are automatically able to see lists of patients booked for imaging procedures on scanner computers and to let the system attach imaging to the relevant animal history in each case. Typos with animal/owner names can virtually be eliminated and the vet can concentrate on the clinical work. Imaging is fetched to individual workstations according to pre-designated rules, ready for the consulting vet to view when he/she is ready. Particular images can be shared easily via the web with referring vets for consultation and client information. Bruce highlighted the progress made since the first installation of a Kodak Master Page x-ray system in 2004 to date and gave a virtual tour of the computer systems required for PACS and viewing facilities within the practice.

Sarah Powell showed us a wonderful selection of examples of her 3D imaging manipulation and diagnostic work. Delegates were talked through the different kinds of image processing available within her tool of choice, OsiriX for Mac. OsiriX offers all modern rendering modes: Multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), Surface Rendering, Volume Rendering and Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP). Sarah explained how to choose which method to apply and how to use the different kinds of visualisation available to make the best use of images for diagnostic purposes, and for teaching and presentation.