Portable feline thyroid scintigraphy debuts in Greece: full analysis

Portable thyroid scintigraphy has made a veterinary debut in Greece, where clinicians used the Seracam hybrid gamma-optical camera to evaluate eight cats with known or suspected hyperthyroidism at a feline endocrine clinic in Athens. The cases were presented at the Hellenic Companion Animal Veterinary Society’s 15th Forum in Chalkidiki on May 15–17, 2026. Serac Imaging Systems, the UK company behind the device, says the project marks the first reported veterinary use of the system in Greece. (dvm360.com)

The backdrop is a familiar one for feline practice. Hyperthyroidism remains one of the most common endocrinopathies in older cats, and while diagnosis is often straightforward, some cases are less clear-cut, especially when laboratory values are borderline or inconsistent with the clinical picture. Thyroid scintigraphy has long been used to clarify diagnosis, map functional thyroid tissue, detect ectopic disease, and inform radioiodine treatment planning, but access has been constrained because nuclear medicine imaging is expensive, tightly regulated, and usually tied to dedicated imaging infrastructure. (dvm360.com)

Seracam is designed to address that access problem. The device combines gamma imaging with a real-time optical image, creating an overlay that helps localize radiotracer uptake anatomically. Serac says the system is portable and intended for point-of-care use, potentially allowing imaging outside a conventional nuclear medicine suite. In the Athens cases, Bourmpou said the scans provided immediate assessment of disease extent, the functional distribution of hyperactive thyroid tissue, and individualized therapeutic requirements. She also said the images helped with pet parent communication by making the pathology easier to visualize. (dvm360.com)

That positioning aligns with a broader push in both human and veterinary imaging toward smaller, more flexible systems for targeted studies. A recent physics paper describing Seracam characterized it as a small-field-of-view hybrid optical-gamma camera for small-organ nuclear medicine imaging, including thyroid applications, and reported promising performance in thyroid scintigraphy. Separately, published veterinary work on small-field-of-view gamma cameras has supported their feasibility for feline thyroid imaging, suggesting the concept is not entirely new, even if this Greek rollout appears to be a first local clinical use of this specific platform. (link.springer.com)

There does appear to be a clinically relevant use case if the technology performs as advertised. Radioiodine is widely regarded as the treatment of choice for feline hyperthyroidism, but optimal dose selection remains debated. Studies of individualized dosing algorithms have aimed to reduce persistent hyperthyroidism and iatrogenic hypothyroidism while also limiting radiation exposure to staff under ALARA principles. In that context, any tool that improves assessment of thyroid burden, ectopic tissue, or functional distribution could be meaningful, particularly for referral centers already offering I-131 therapy. That is an inference based on the broader literature, not yet a proven outcome of this eight-cat experience. (academic.oup.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the significance is practical. If portable scintigraphy can be integrated into endocrine referral workflows, it may lower some of the logistical barriers that have kept thyroid imaging concentrated in a small number of centers. That could improve workups for borderline cases, refine treatment planning, and strengthen discussions with pet parents about why one cat may be a candidate for medication, surgery, diet, or radioiodine over another. But the caution is just as important: the current report is based on eight cats, presented at a meeting and amplified through a company release and trade coverage, without peer-reviewed outcomes data on sensitivity, specificity, cost-effectiveness, or long-term treatment impact. (dvm360.com)

Industry reaction so far is mostly limited to the company’s framing rather than independent outside commentary. Serac has emphasized portability, bedside use, and capacity expansion in nuclear medicine settings, and earlier company materials have highlighted small-organ applications such as thyroid imaging. What’s still missing is third-party validation from veterinary internists, radiologists, or nuclear medicine specialists comparing workflow and image quality against established gamma camera protocols. (seracimagingsystems.com)

What to watch: The next markers will be publication of the Greek case series or follow-on studies, disclosure of tracer protocols and workflow details, and evidence that portable imaging changes case selection, I-131 dosing, repeat-treatment rates, or outcomes in feline hyperthyroidism. If those data emerge, this could move from an interesting conference debut to a meaningful shift in how specialty practices approach thyroid imaging. (dvm360.com)