New Mobile Service: State-of-the-Art High Definition MRI System
Press contact: BETH MACKEY RT(R) (M)
RADIOLOGY DIRECTOR
(660)686-2211 X311
(radiology@fairfaxmed.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
community
hospital
-
fairfax
New Mobile Service
STATE-OF-THE-ART HIGH DEFINTION MRI SYSTEM
Powerful Diagnostic Imaging Technology Enables Faster, More Detailed Exams
With Clarity Reminiscent of High Definition Television
FAIRFAX, MO
February 11,
2008 – COMMUNITY
HOSPITAL – FAIRFAX announced today that the mobile MRI service has been
upgraded to a new, state-of-the-art high definition magnetic resonance (MR) system
from GE Healthcare. The Signa®
EXCITE 1.5T system will provide doctors at COMMUNITY HOSPITAL with
highly detailed pictures of anatomy and pathology to help them evaluate a wide range
of conditions, including stroke, cancer, musculoskeletal, and heart disease.
“Now with the
new MRI system, COMMUNITY HOSPITAL is able to capture dramatic images
of our patients, reminiscent of high definition television.
This new system provides our physicians with outstanding image quality for
a more confident diagnosis, and less likelihood of rescans, even in the most challenging
circumstances,” said BETH MACKEY,
RADIOLOGY DIRECTOR..
The new scanner also features GE’s leading edge
EXCITE data management platform. This breakthrough enables COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
to offer patients more sophisticated exams.
The MR scanner is built precisely to handle
the types of studies that are becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of
disease. “We get more information to diagnose disease while patients experience
a shorter, more comfortable exam. Plus,
patients can take advantage of this advanced healthcare technology right here in
the community of
FAIRFAX
,” said BETH MACKEY.
The Signa EXCITE 1.5T system will also, for
the first time, provide COMMUNITY HOSPITAL’S
physicians with unprecedented imaging speed and clarity in Brain exams where patients
are difficult to image due to movement, including Parkinson’s patients who suffer
from uncontrollable patient motion and children who do not respond to sedation.
During a typical
MR scan, a patient is asked to remain still for the exam.
Even if a patient is cooperative they can blur a scan with a slight movement,
including a cough or sneeze. This movement
can hide important details, make the doctor’s job of diagnosing the situation more
challenging, or require a re-scan – sometimes up to 25 percent of the time with
conventional MR scanners.
Today,
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
is able to offer its patients advanced capabilities
and entirely new applications that are only available with the EXCITE MR, such as:
§
Brain imaging with uncompromised image quality, despite patient motion.
§
Evaluation of diabetic patients for low blood flow to the lower legs – ability to
capture high-resolution detail all the way down into the critical vessels of the
foot.
§
Extremely high-resolution
images in the abdomen, for liver exams with shorter breath holds and better organ
coverage than previously possible.
§
Examine both breasts in a single exam with high-resolution, high sensitivity results.
“In addition, our physicians are able to offer the most comprehensive
breadth of MR procedures in the FAIRFAX area, providing optimal diagnostic
capabilities for the assessment of the brain, spine, prostate, abdomen, and pelvis,
as well as perform orthopedic procedures on the elbow, wrist, hip and ankle,” said
BETH
MACKEY.
MRI uses computers and magnetic fields, rather than
X-rays, to capture images of the human body.
“COMMUNITY HOSPITAL’S
new MR system produces images of amazing clarity and detail. It’s what attracted
us to the GE system.” said BETH MACKEY. “We know that we’ll get superior
images even in the most difficult cases, and that means better patient care for
our patients.”