Diagnostic Imaging: Complex is our Everyday
Home to one of the UK’s largest team of internationally renowned Specialist Radiologists and world-class diagnostic facilities, Willows offers an unrivalled Diagnostic Imaging service which forms one of the cornerstones of our multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
Leading-edge technology, outstanding clinical expertise and a bespoke approach to every patient ensures that the best possible images are captured, interpreted and guided providing the most accurate and rapid diagnosis, allowing better patient outcomes and more detailed clinical information for clients and referring vets alike.
Our diagnostic imaging equipment includes:
• A 1.5 tesla MRI scanner
• A 64 slice CT scanner with ECG gating
• A Samsung SR85 and a GE Logiq E10 Vet ultrasound unit, both with a range of dedicated probes
• Two digital X-ray rooms with auto-exposure facility
• A high-end fluoroscopy unit for real time/movie X-ray viewing in and outside the operating theatre
• An integrated PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System) for instant image retrieval on a number of workstations around the hospital.
Meet The Team
Alisha Soza
DVM GPCert(DI) PgC(DI) MRCVS
Diagnostic Imaging Resident
Alisha graduated from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in 2018. Following graduation, she spent three years working in a busy first-opinion hospital in Sri Lanka, where she developed a strong interest in Diagnostic Imaging.
She relocated to the UK in 2021, gaining experience across several first-opinion practices before completing a rotating internship at a busy referral hospital. She subsequently undertook a specialised internship in Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Cambridge, where she further developed her knowledge and clinical experience in the field.
Alisha completed a postgraduate certificate in Diagnostic Imaging before joining Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in September 2026 as a Resident in Diagnostic Imaging. She is particularly excited to be part of Willows’ multidisciplinary team and to further develop her expertise in advanced Diagnostic Imaging.
Outside of work, Alisha enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is a keen surfer and is hoping to take up sailing in the near future.
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What is MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)?
Unlike many other veterinary MRI facilities in the UK, our 1.5 tesla MRI scanner has a complete range of MRI coils – these are placed around the patient to obtain the best image quality. Given the great variety of shapes and sizes of animals which we encounter on a daily basis, having a wide range of coils to choose from is very important, as this allows our Specialist Imagers to optimise the MRI studies for each individual patient.
What is CT (Computed Tomography)?
Willows is home to a top-of-the range, 64-slice Siemens CT scanner enabling highly accurate lesion localisation. Although it uses x-rays to create an image, the modern design of the CT scanner keeps the radiation dose to the patient to an absolute minimum. The CT has the ability to image multiple slices at once, enabling images to be acquired in much less time.
What is Fluoroscopy?
Mobile image intensifiers allow our Specialist Imagers to view ‘live’ x-ray images, which is a requirement for some of our patients. Fluoroscopy is most commonly used for operating on patients with portosystemic shunts (an abnormal blood vessel that allows the blood supply to bypass the liver), however it can also be used to perform certain studies of the gastrointestinal tract, and to assist our surgeons when placing metal implants in orthopaedic procedures.
What is Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is an ideal way of imaging in real-time, for many of our patients it can be utilised in obtaining biopsies from organs without the need for major surgery. At Willows we have high-end ultrasound imaging facilities and a wide range of ultrasound probes, allowing us to see inside and behind the eye of ocular patients, inside the abdomen (and the chest) of some of our medical and soft tissue surgical patients, and even into muscles and tendons of some of orthopaedic patients. For more information about ultrasound please see our pet health information sheet ‘What is an ultrasound scan?’.
Diagnostic Imaging
Find out more
To assist owners in understanding more about Diagnostic Imaging, we have put together a range of information sheets to talk you through the some of the main areas forms of Diagnostic Imaging at Willows.
